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”.

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.

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 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

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.

On December 15, 1791, the first ten bill of rights which are the first ten amendments to the constitution went into effect. The first amendment states, “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 grievance”. This prohibits the government from establishing a religion. To Americans it is important to maintain their civil rights.

Roger Williams a man who founded Rhode Island, has showed his confidence and strong belief in civic and religious liberty throughout history. Since migrating to America, Roger Williams has always been a strong minded figure when it came to beliefs and his ideas. His will to persuade others and fight for what he believed in shows why he he holds value in Rhode Island history still to this day. Roger William’s fought effortlessly to teach others the importance of his his and their own opinion. He believed that their should be a separation of church and state (which was uncommon back in the 1600’s). Williams also founded the First Baptist church in Providence, which shows how great and influential he is.

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 is a home for people to be free from religious persecution; or at least that is what the nation was found on. As time goes on, it seem as if the foundation of religious freedom that the United States of America was found has been forgotten. The United States government at its earliest establishment had set forth a set of freedoms for all people to feel safe from any persecution. In order to make these a set of established rights, the founding fathers created the U.S. Constitution that holds within itself the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was a call for greater constitutional protection for each citizens, or immigrants, individual civil liberties. During the twentieth century, The United States Supreme Court had a very

Roger Williams was born in London, circa 1603, during a period of intense religious intolerance. After finishing school in England, he traveled to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, initially to be a missionary. His radical views on religious freedom and disapproval of the practice of confiscating land from the Native Americans earned him the wrath of church leaders and he was banished from the colony. With his followers, he fled to Narragansett Bay, where he purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and established a new colony, which became a haven for Baptists, Quakers, Jews and other religious minorities. Nearly a century after his death, Williams's notion of religious freedom and the separation of church and state inspired the framers

Religious freedom was the impetus for many early immigrants coming to America. Thus, freedom to practice a chosen religion is of importance to many Americans. Early colonists, as well as a majority of Americans today, adhere to the Judeo-Christian teachings and indicate affiliations to Christian denominations. Subsequently, Christianity has had a tremendous influence on our values, legal system, and approach to governing. Yet, our Constitution is explicit that government shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. In turn, Americans believe in the separation of church and state. Even so, there are sharp disagreements as to what degree religion and government should be

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

America existed on the basic idea of freedom; in the United States there are different types of religion; Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and others. If religion and state is separate that freedom that is aimed by every individual is reached. The first amendment does not necessarily state that the constitution and religion should be separate but it stated that congress have no right to judge or make any law that interfere with an individual religious rights. This makes sense because in America there are different religions and not all have the same view; it will not be easily to create the free country, America with these different views. The founder fathers themselves may have been from a slightly different background and made a constitution that knew no history of any individual but as a country that counts to hold everyone.