The Freedom Of The United States

When you ask people what freedom is they may respond that freedom is when you can do whatever you want to do at whatever time. Mostly this will be the response of kids and young adults. But this definition of freedom is incorrect. Freedom is when we are allowed to have power of right to act without violating other people's freedoms or rights. The most effective tools for establishing and preserving freedom are strong government and constitution. A quote that can help out the claim comes from the Declaration of independence “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

In 1631, Roger Williams left England and arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he worked as a minister. However, his divergent views on religious freedom, and the rights of the Natives cause him to be banished from the colony. He then bought land from the Narragansett Natives, and created a new colony, which is now known as Providence, Rhode Island. Providence quickly became a home for Quakers, Jews, and other religious minorities. Although Williams was a minister, he was a strong supporter of religious freedom, and the separation of church and state. London’s religious intolerance was the leading reason he fled England. It is no surprise that once he saw the same system forming amongst the colonists he began to speak out against

Roger Williams, born in London in 1603, influenced the United States through his efforts to create religious freedom and through his establishment of Rhode Island. Before coming to America, Williams was able to receive an education at Pembroke College at Cambridge University, receiving various scholarships for his merit in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. At the time of his marriage to Mary Barnard in 1629, Williams had already been a name known throughout Europe for his ideals on religious acceptance. His religious tolerance sprung from his lifelong desire for a closer relationship with God. Although these strong beliefs caused many problems for him—including getting banished from places like Massachusetts—he never let them go. He let them fuel

The American Constitution was influenced partly by Judeo-Christian ideas, mainly that the natural rights of individual should be protected and unalienable. Followers of Judaism surmised that humans were created in God’s image, and as such each individual “has a divine spark that gives him or her a dignity that cannot be taken away” (M.W.H. 12). In the American democracy, the Bill of Rights gives all of the country’s citizens certain rights that are unalienable, and cannot be taken away. As opposed to other forms of government, where the social status of a citizen determined his or her rights, the American Constitution gave all citizens the same rights

The religious intolerance found in the Bay Colonies lead to the colony of Rhode Island being founded by Roger Williams, a Separatist who desired to completely break away from the Church of England, unlike his Puritan counterparts. To make matters worse for the Puritan leaders, Williams also questioned the taking of the Native’s land and the authority the civil government held over religious practices. The Puritan leaders found the last point very dangerous because it undermined the exact idea of government to the Puritans. His radical views resulted in Puritans leaders banning him from the Bay Colony and from there he set off on his journey of finding and constructing the colony of Rhode Island. Due to the adversity Williams experienced while

The political and religious leader Roger Williams (c. 1603-1683) is best remembered for founding the state of Rhode Island and advocating

Living in the MA Bay colony, this minister believed the Puritans needed to form a break from the Church of England, as well as a break between government and Church. He also believed the taking of Indian land without proper compensation was immoral. He was banished in 1635. By 1636, he had traveled to Rhode Island. He built a Baptist Church in Providence (most likely the first Baptist Church in America). He founded Rhode Island as a place for ANYONE to worship freely in, and eventually received charter rights for RI to be a legal colony in 1644.

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution grants United States Citizens the right to freedom of religion (Horwitz 1). According to Supreme Court interpretation, the primary purpose of this amendment is to prevent government interference with the practice of religion. Since the 1950's this amendment has been slowly worn away, resulting in the government limiting its citizens' rights to freely pray, worship, and even proselytize. While various laws are often struck down in the Supreme Court, this process takes time and damage is done to freedom while awaiting the decision.

America today is permeated with natural law. Our founders were subscribers to natural law and believed that man’s inner morality can lead to sustaining a civil society. The forefathers of America were from different denominations that ranged from Presbyterian to Catholism. Some were even Deists. Even though their denominations varied, they all united under the idea that their Creator was the source of their reason (Levin 2009, 26). The result of these beliefs produced a religious liberty throughout the country. That liberty still stands today. Natural law, contrary to the thoughts of its non-supporters, does not make a country into a theocracy. Since God’s laws are universal, the creed of a person does not change the fact that they entitled to their God-given rights. The founders were extremely foresighted because they acknowledged that liberty is inseparable from religious liberty (Levin 2009, 29). Another example of how natural law is in America’s founding is the right for citizens to disobey man-made laws that tyrannical in nature. All laws that are not given by the consent of the governed have the potential to be overthrown. America’s Declaration of Independence even says that the people should go as far as overthrowing the government if it becomes too powerful (Levin

The First Amendment ensures that there is separation between Church and State. However, this disjunction is not absolute. As the United States has become a more multi-cultural society, certain rituals have become problematic. Some issues were traditions that put one religion at the forefront, violating of the Establishment Clause; other issues affected peoples’ right to free expression of their religion. Many times people do not realize the Judeo-Christian bias in our culture because it is so integrated into our way of life. This country needs to recognize these biases and address them as the United States become a more diverse population.

Since before the United States was founded, the ideals of Christianity have been integrated into the government in some way, shape, or form. In the early days of the Colonies, Christianity was the centerfold for all government affairs; however, after the constitution was ratified and deemed effective in the United States, the First Amendment was born. The first amendment states that, “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” (source). In the early life of the United States, the

In the United States Constitution, the First Amendment states that “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” (Gold). Historically, as demonstrated in cases such as Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as the government in general, has well-upheld this amendment, but starting sometime in the second half of the 20th century, they are slowly embracing it less and less, as demonstrated in cases such as Texas v. Johnson. The recent hostility towards the First Amendment demonstrates that its rights

The founding of the New World gave the religiously oppressed people hope to exercise their religious dreams. The non-stop conflicts in Europe between the Church and Protestants led many people to flee from their home countries. Among the first settlers on the New World were the Protestants which were chased by the government in their countries. In the 18th century the religious conflicts led the founders to make the First Amendment in the American Constitution. The Amendment states that the U.S. government wouldn’t have a state-supported church as Britain did. (Wills 58) Today even though religious oppression seems like an ancient problem, it still exists. The U.S. country has

The United States of America was founded with a credo of religious freedom. They hoped to change the vicious cycle of religious persecution and intolerance that had been swirling through Europe for centuries. Over the last two hundred years this legacy has been shredded and stained. Our religious freedoms have been taken away by people who have twisted what our country was founded to protect.

In 1791, ten amendments were made to the U.S. constitution: The Bill of Rights. The first of these rights given to the citizens of America is the right to freedom of religion and freedom of the press. Countless court cases have brought the issue of the separation of church and state to light. Legal battles and administrative actions in the government have led to conversations about how much religion should be involved in schools and what power the state has over religion.