"Freedom Of Speech" Imagine a time when one could be fined, imprisoned and even killed for just simply speaking one's mind. Speech is the basic vehicle for communication of beliefs, thoughts and ideas. Without the right to speak one's mind freely one would be forced to agree with e...

America has always been defined by the constitution, the amendments, and most importantly, by the people of the United States. Notice what is not listed: the freedoms given to the people of the United States by these three crucial establishments. This one incredibly significant element is not ment...

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS There are now and have always been many different views regarding freedom of the press. These views are not just representative of contemporary society but historical society as well. These different views are apparent in the historical and contemporary articles I have revi...

Flag Desecration For many Americans the flag of the United States has been a symbol of freedom. However political turmoil and involvement in foreign wars has led to a new form of protest, protected under the first amendment of the Constitution-flag burning. Citizenship in America is not easy. A...

Blood, guts, cuts, bruises, scars, decapitations, shootings, guns, knives, nudity, sex, expletives, bad role models and freedom of speech. Is that what you think of when you think about the content of the mass media? Has the media gone too far? Is this violence in mass media affecting our children? ...

For more than 200 years the American Constitution has served as much more than a framework of government. Our belief in the great document's guarantees of freedom, justice, and equality has come to define what it means to be an American. From 1787 to today, in times of both tragedy and triumph, Amer...

The Constitution of the United States of America contains the basic rights of citizens of this country. There is, perhaps, no right more controversial than the First Amendment in the Constitution, first introduced on December 15, 1791. The First Amendment states, "Congress shall make no...

Friends and fellow citizens: I stand before you tonight, under indictment for the alleged crime of having voted at the last Presidential election, without having a lawful right to vote. It shall be my work this evening to prove to you that I thus voting, I not only committed no crime, but, instead, ...

Are the Dangers of Internet Child Pornography Exaggerated? The Issue Is a part of society over-reacting to the accessibility of pornographic material on the Internet? Is pornographic material as easily accessible as some believe? Julia Wilkins Opinion Julia Wilkins is an author of several ...

On June 21, 1788 Congress ratified the US constitution. This historic document contained the powers that congress would have under this democratic government. The first amendment specifically details several powers that would be excluded from this list. The first amendment states "Congress sha...

"Freedom of speech, freedom of expression, both oral and written, from governmental prior restraint, except as such expression constitutes libel, slander, obscenity, sedition, or criminal conduct such as bribery, perjury, or incitement to riot." In the U.S., this freedom is protected by...

On June 21, 1788 Congress ratified the US constitution. This historic document contained the powers that congress would have under this democratic government. The first amendment specifically details several powers that would be excluded from this list. The first amendment states "Congress shal...

In many civilizations, religion provides a strong foundation for leadership and social acceptance. One's religious beliefs shape their world, and in many countries, shape the world in which they are allowed to live. Yet the United States has always claimed to be different: a "melting pot" of ...

The American Flag and its Growing Controversy Step 1: Details The American flag, to many, is the symbol of life and liberty. Freedom from oppression and the ability to run one's own life with minimal government intervention is what our country fought for all those years ago. The day after t...

Article Five, clause two of the United States Constitution states, "under the Authority of the United States, [the Constitution] shall be the supreme law of the land." As a result of the fact that the current activist government is pursuing inconsistent policies, many believe ...

The U.S. Constitution Article Five, clause two of the United States Constitution states, "under the Authority of the United States, [the Constitution] shall be the supreme law of the land." As a result of the fact that the current activist government is pursuing inconsistent polic...

The significant debate on religion in schools is becoming more and more heated. Many people say that banning religion in schools would be unconstitutional, which in some aspects is understandable since the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of religion....

Abraham Lincoln and Equal Rights With America struggling in a state of Civil War, the nation's very core was being shaken. Abraham Lincoln, who was president during this period, realized this, and delivered one of his most historically renowned speeches, "The Gettysburg Address". This speech ad...

The Power is in the People Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. ...

The Second Amendment and Gun Control: Racism at its best. Let me take you back to a time not so long ago: Once upon a time there lived an unhappy group of people in a British Colony. These people were tired of the oppressive British Empire and wanted to form their own government where they could ...

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners, will then be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream..." Martin Luther King Jr. This quote is from King's most famous speech that was given in o...

On June 13, 1866, Thaddeus Stevens, the leader of the House of Representatives and the nation's most prominent Radical Republican, addressed his congressional colleagues on the issue of the Fourteenth Amendment. The purpose of this amendment was to secure the fruits of Union victory in the Civil Wa...

The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to pe...

In the landmark case Reynolds vs. Sims, the Supreme Court declared: "Especially since the right to exercise the franchise in a free and unimpaired manner is preservative of the other basic civil and political rights, any alleged infringement of the right of citizens to vote must be carefully and me...

Executive Branch vs. Legislative Branch In principle, the U.S. is a democratic republic, they govern themselves by choosing their leaders by secret ballot, and these leaders in turn make the rules. Americans started "governing themselves" as a nation on July 4th, 1776, when the Declaration of I...