The Importance Of The First Amendment

Neil Gaiman once said, “The current total of countries in the world with First Amendments is one. You have guaranteed the freedom of speech. Other countries don’t have that.” At the time of the amendments’ creation, a vast majority of operating countries had not yet granted their people such freedoms. Granting every citizen of the United States this right seemed to have been an important landmark in this nation’s history. Along with others, this right is declared to the people in the first amendment of the constitution. The first amendment is the most important because it grants people freedom of speech, prohibits prior restraint, and declares the right to peaceable assembly.

The first amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of speech and expression. One particular form of expression that has grown in popularity is body art; also known as tattoos. This creative form of expression can be displayed anywhere on the body. It is because of this same freedom that I believe there should be restrictions on what and where a tattoo is placed. Some feel as if the Marine Corps shouldn’t have any tattoo restrictions. But I strongly disagree. This Organization has been built on so many great principles, like our Corps Values: “Honor, Courage, and Commitment.” Then we have our official United States Marine Corps (USMC) slogan: “The Few, The Proud, The Marines”. We have a reputation for being a professional, disciplined fighting force. Granted, society will always change. From the modern day fads, the fashion statements, to the personal beliefs plus the need to be an individual; we as a people can change in the blink of an eye. But should we allow that to dictate the USMC? Should we change our foundation because of our society? Although tattoos have become a part of the societal norm, in order to maintain good order, discipline, and a professional military appearance; restrictions must remain in place.

When our Nation had regarded themselves as thirteen newly colonies and to separate themselves from Great Britain. Congress had imparted to the state legislature twelve amendments to the Constitution. These Amendments later became the Bill of Rights, the first basic rights that the country was founded to provide. The whole point that the Bill of Rights were made was so that new Federal Government were prevented from impairing human rights and freedom. However, these rights are being undermined through extreme liberalism that happens in the education system predominantly the First Amendment.

First Amendment: To have the rights and freedoms that sadly many other countries do not have. To have the freedoms of speech, petition, assembly, religion, and press. I feel this is the most important amendment out of all ten because if you don't have the freedom to be your own person then, what do you have? Would you have your money? Your faith? Power? An opinion? Imagine if you had that and not be able to use it because someone told you they don't agree with it. That you don't have the right to have it, and then it is taken from you by force. That is why I think the first amendment is the most important. If you don't have your freedom, you essentially have nothing that is yours. As Benjamin Franklin said, "They who can give up essential liberty

The United States Constitution contains 27 Amendments. These 27 Amendments were all chosen and passed for specific reasons. However, the most important Amendment to the Constitution is the First Amendment, which is also the most relevant to america today. The first amendment protects the freedoms of religion, speech and the press, as well as the right to assemble peacefully and petition the government if necessary. The Founding Fathers of the Constitution created this Amendment to insure that individual's’ rights will not be violated under federal legislature. Today, the First Amendment's’ importance has recently been under fire as many opinions are causing controversy within different media outlets. Although some may disagree, the First Amendment is solely the foundation for basic democracy not only in America, but worldwide. The First Amendment provides Americans the ability to freely express their opinions, protest against the government, and follow individual faith.

Individuals in America possess many freedoms that individuals in foreign countries like China, South Korea, and Afghanistan do not have access to. The liberties granted by the First Amendment gives people the right to express their personal and religious beliefs without interference from the Government. The protection given to the people by the First Amendment stops the Government from becoming too strong or monarchical, a fear that comes from the oppressive rule of Great Britain that the Founding Fathers desperately wanted to avoid happening again. The preservation of individuals expressing their political, religious, or personal beliefs is an important right of American citizens that should not be overlooked. A recent illustration of the First Amendment in use for individuals can be seen with the Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015. The Court ruling directly impacts individuals by giving people the legal right to have same-sex marriages.

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” The Second Amendment was written in 1791 when weapons were not as advanced as today’s armory. People change, presidents change, guns change, and the world changes, so why shouldn't the law change? As a 17 year old student I am scared for my life when I go to the movies, to a concert, to school, or even by simply walking in a public street because in the back of my mind I fear I'll be a victim in a shooting. While I believe the second amendment was made to protect civilians please consider changing the age of owning a gun from 18 to 21 and up, better background checking and restricting certain kinds of weapons being sold in stores.

The First Amendment tells us that every single person has the rights to speak freely without the government interfering with his or her rights. Each person has a freedom to voice their beliefs about Christianity. According to the First Amendment the government cannot keep any person from establishing a Church Ministry, we as the Creation of the Creator has the choice to practice (or not to practice) any faith without the government involvement. We were created to praise and serve Jesus Christ. No one has the ability or the authority to stop what was put in place by God Almighty. Men seem to try, but that’s all man can do is try.

The 1st Amendment in the Bill of Rights guarantees the rights of free expression and action that are fundamental to democratic government. Some of the rights granted within this amendment are freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of press, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition. Without the 1st Amendment the United States, not many people would be able to enjoy their everyday life due to the restrictions that would endure from their part-taking. Most people need the 1st Amendment to raise awareness of certain issues that occur in our everyday lives because if it weren’t for our rights coming from this amendment we wouldn’t have a voice, we’d be like puppets being controlled by the government with no right and

The first amendment often gets used in the wrong ways also. Some people believe that saying untrue, offensive or, problem causing things falls under Freedom of Speech for example “if a man is falsely shouting fire and causing a panic” he will not be protected by the First Amendment. The First Amendment was established to protect those in need of protecting, not to be taken advantage by those that abuse the system. A few more things that the First Amendment will not protect you from are hate speech, inciting violence, supporting terrorism, public employee speech, defamation, intellectual property and, true threats. Freedom of Expression is a basic human right.

The first amendment protects civilians right to freedom of speech but this freedom is often debated

The First Amendment to the Constitution prevents the government from impeding the free exercise of religion, disavowing intervention when a religion disagrees with the policies of government. This fundamental liberty has recently come under attack in response to the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage in June, 2015. In response, individual states and the federal government have passed religious freedom laws protecting religious liberty for business owners. The free exercise of religion is a fundamental liberty that should not be abridged by government, and the implementation of religious freedom statutes is necessary to protect the values of the First Amendment.

Students are worried if they would be getting punished by the school for things they posted outside of school. “This is the government essentially hiring a contractor to stalk the social media of the kids,” said Lee Tien, senior staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that defends privacy, free speech and consumer rights. “When the government -- and public schools are part of the government -- engages in any kind of line-crossing and to actually go and gather information about people away from school,that crosses a line,” Tien said, “Though critics liken the monitoring to government stalking, school officials and their contractor say the purpose is student safety. Strauss, Valerie. “School district monitoring students’ social media posts.” Washington Post.

The United States has many amendments that makes America what it is today. America was built on the U.S. Constitution and still to this day people are supposed follow it. But the first amendment is one of the biggest ones people tend to disagree on. It says one in America has the right to freedom of speech, which means one can say anything or not say anything at all. It is the law that everyone in America has freedom of speech, but when hurtful things are said that are not necessary, it crosses the line because it could end in violence without unprotected hate speech, it could offended someone with a hurtful opinion, and people will never learn to act justly if they are never punished for their wrong doings.

The Bill of Rights is a very powerful document consisting of the ten amendments that were given to the people to protect their rights to life, liberty, and property. The first ten amendments of the constitution were written by James Madison on September 25, 1789 in response to requests from multiple states to institute individual liberties. Amendments one, four, and ten are specific amendments that have been more present during my lifetime and throughout history.