preview

Why the 1st Amendment Is the Best

Decent Essays

Amendment Essay
By: Christina Ramler 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 …show more content…

This opposing argument is very much invalid. Though they have limitations, the freedom of speech and the first amendment are still very important to this country. These limits help to keep only the truth in public broadcasting and publishing. An example is if a news station does a report that is slanderous, the authorities may act accordingly to declare their lies unconstitutional. The freedom of speech is a privilege to have, and cannot be taken advantage of by telling lies. The first amendment is still very important, and the limitations it has on the freedom of speech help to keep only the truth in the public. Another opposing argument against the first amendment’s importance is the fact that by having no prior restraint in the public, there is a possibility of the people learning about something that they should not know. An example would be the possibility of a terrorist attack. If word leaks out of the possibility of an attack, the country may go into a state of havoc and chaos due to their worry. Some argue that in this situation it may be beneficial to have some sort of prior restraint on the news. Due to the possibility of worrying news leaked to the public, it degrades the importance of the first amendment because it shows that there is a need for some prior restraint in the government. This lowers the importance

Get Access