...As part of our nation’s Bill of Rights, the First Amendment passed on September 25, 1789, in efforts to protect our religious freedoms and rights. 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 of grievances. (US Constitution) This freedom established by our fore fathers continues to be important not only to me but to everyone in our society. So, what does the First Amendment guarantee? It helps to protect freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. Our nation’s lawmakers, Congress, cannot promote one religion over another nor restrict an individual’s religious practices. The First Amendment allows for freedom of expression. It does not allow Congress to restrict the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. It also guarantees the right for people to gather peacefully and to petition their government. The importance of religious freedom has been around a very long time. During our nation’s settlement, the pilgrims sought religious freedom. They wanted to find a place to settle,...
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...Reflections on the First Amendment HIS/301 January 15, 2015 Paul Betancourt Reflections on the First Amendment The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects the freedom of the American people. When asked about the First Amendment, many people would only think of the freedom of speech. However, the amendment 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 petition the government for a redress of grievances (U.S. Constitution, amend. I). Over time, these rights have been challenged in various cases, six of which will be discussed in this paper. The common trend in these cases is that the First Amendment rights may always be tested, but in the end, they hold true in court. The freedom of speech and freedom of the press ensure that Congress cannot pass any laws or other amendments that would later take these rights away from the American people. The idea is that all people should be able to speak freely, and news agencies and reporters should be able to speak the truth, whatever it may be, to the citizens of America (Cornell University Law School, n.d.). However, there are times where saying certain things in certain scenarios could cause grave damage to the country, the U.S. government, or even the American people. In these cases, there have actually been exceptions made...
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...Unit 5 Hearing Questions Hannah, Adele, Juleah, Trenner, and Blake Opening: Adele How does the Constitution protect our basic rights? The Constitution protects our basic rights in many ways. A couple examples of how the Constitution protects our basic rights are that it gives us freedom of speech, expression, and religion. We also always have the right to due process. These are a few ways the Constitution protects our basic rights. Why did the Founders think freedom of religion was so important? 1a. The Founders thought freedom of religion was important because they didn’t want to violate people’s individual rights. They also did not want conflict among the colonists because of the differences in their beliefs. One major reason the colonists...
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...Imagine you are a parent. A parent of two young, restless children, one of which is going into kindergarten and the other into first grade. Watching as they leave, you can see that they are ambitiously excited, ready to learn and face the challenges of that day. When they come home from school, they are thrilled and jabber away as they talk about how wonderful their first day was. Day by day, they continually come home, excited and ready to tell you all that happened; however, the months go by and as your kids start to get settled in things start to change. You notice that your kids have been very quiet for the last couple of weeks; moreover, you realize that they no longer talk about all the good things of school and rarely get excited...
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...Liberty University The Chaplain in Today’s Military A paper submitted to Dr. Charlie Davidson In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the course CHPL 600 Liberty Theological seminary By Jonathan Keene Lynchburg, Virginia Friday, October 11, 2013 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Legal Boundaries 3 Theological/Biblical Justification for the Christian Chaplaincy 5 The Chaplain’s Present Ministry 6 The Future of the Christian Military Chaplain 9 Conclusion 12 Bibliography 13 Introduction The chaplaincy in the American Military is as old as the United States of America. Chaplains fought alongside General George Washington in the revolutionary war and served as officiators over many ceremonial precedings in the early days of United States history. Today’s military chaplain still fights alongside military men and women in austere environments around the globe. He is responsible for providing meaningful worship materials and services for the variety of faiths that are represented by individuals in the United States Military. It is through the policy of pluralism in an attitude of tolerance and compassion that the military chaplain is able to minister to service men and women of various faiths. Recent policy decisions by the United States Pentagon, the last few presidential administrations, and the leaders of the armed forces have created an increasingly difficult environment for devout Christians to...
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...Running Head: THE FIRST AMENDMENT [pic] Reflections on the First Amendment NAME University of Phoenix Online United States Constitution – HIS301 Reflections on the First Amendment Judged by the sheer number of cases brought to the Supreme Court for debate, the First Amendment can be considered one of the most controversial amendments in the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment was written to address three fundamental liberties all citizens have: religion, speech and peaceful assembly. On closer inspection, there are six very different ideals melded together into one defining statement. When the U.S. Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, it did not contain important freedoms that are now outlined in the Bill of Rights, because many of the Framers viewed some of the freedoms as unnecessary. However, after vigorous debate, the Bill of Rights was adopted. The first freedoms guaranteed in this historic document were expressed in 45 words written by James Madison that we have come to know as the First Amendment. 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.” Freedom of expression, artistic or otherwise in the United States is governed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution...
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...First Amendment Paper Denard Benton HIS/301 Dick Ecott Sep 23, 2011 In this paper I will be discussing three court cases cases concerning the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States. For each of these cases, I will answer three questions about why they were important and how they are relevant to today’s society. The first question I will get into is to what extent the Constitution protects the right to privacy. Why did each case need to be heard and interpreted by the Supreme Court? And how does the Supreme Court’s decision in each case continue to affect the rights of American citizens today? The first topic I will get into is concerning the burning of the United States Flag. In 1990, the case involving the United States v. Eichman, when a man burned a United States flag in political protest. The individual who burned the flag knew he would seriously offend onlookers by doing so. In 1989, congress passed the Flag Protection act. This act criminalizes the conduct of anyone who “knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon” a United States flag, except conduct related to the disposal of a worn or soiled flag. Appelees were prosecuted in district courts for violating this act. Even after this was passed, protestors of the government knowingly burned flags against policies and other beliefs. Some protestors burned the flag just because the act was passed. During these cases, the appellees moved...
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...Carr (1962) (1) Constitutional Question: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) (1) Constitutional Question: Did the Connecticut law violate the U.S. Constitution under First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendment? (2) Background information: There was a law in Connecticut that banned birth control. Anyone who used drugs or other medical ways to prevent fertilization would be fined $40 or more, or put in jail for sixty days or more. The Director of Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut named Estelle Griswold, and Dr. C. Lee Buxton were arrested for violating the Connecticut law. They had been giving information, instruction, and providing illegal drugs and devices to married couples to help them from getting pregnant. They were found guilty, and were both fined. After appealing to the Supreme Court of Errors of Connecticut, Griswold and Buxton claimed that the Connecticut law violated the Constitution under the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendment. All of these Amendments guaranteed freedom, or rights of different things, and all applied to this case. Soon the case was reviewed by the Supreme Court in...
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...Three years later Congress added 10 amendments (the Bill of Rights) that guaranteed individual liberties. This paper will summarize why those amendments were included, and analyze whether the Bill of Rights altered the Constitution or merely strengthened it. The 1780s were a time of triumph and turmoil in America. The decisive American victory at Yorktown in 1781 guaranteed the nation’s independence, confirmed two years later by a peace treaty with England that recognized the new nation. The Bill of Rights is a critical part of the Constitution. When the formatters of the Constitution were creating the document, some believe that the Bill of Rights was not necessary. However after long debate, they agreed that it should be included. The purpose however is to guarantee certain rights not provide them; for example the freedom of speech under the First Amendment. There are limitations and people need to realize that the Constitution does not guarantee free speech. “The Freedom of Speech or known as the First Amendment is one of the most valuable and precious rights guaranteed to Americans in the United States Constitution. At the same time, it is one of the most abused rights by Americans” this is one of the protections that many Americans hold very dear and also value it because it will allow them to speak out against government policies that they do not like and also allow them to express their religious beliefs of their choosing. In other...
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...The first amendment is very crucial to the way we live about the world. It is really important but there is one part that i consider to be more important than any in the first amendment and that is the freedom of religion. It is a great thing that we get to have this freedom and praise what we want because i can proudly say that i am a christian. Religious freedom is a fundamental human right for every person on earth. It has been recognized by international accords and by the Second Vatican Council. But Religious liberty is under attack in many countries around the world. There are persecuted Christians in different countries and do not get the right or chance to praise God. That is why i try to do as much as i can because, some people who...
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...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 bill of rights was submitted to the states for ratification on September 25, 1789 and adopted on December 15, 1791. The first amendment was one of those amendments within the bill of rights to be adopted by the American culture. The first amendment was made as an act to guarantee our civil liberties rights. What people don’t really know is that the 1st amendment had to undergo many changes to be really effective. In the beginning the 1st amendment wasn’t as powerful it is now. Many cases had to happen for the first amendment to be really effective. Before these cases, people still weren’t really able to express themselves freely without any repercussions. For example, people weren’t able to freely write they wanted in the paper; as in talk bad about the government. The state government was no longer able to impose censorship and restrict speech, which is guaranteed by the First amendment. In 1798, the Sedition Act violated the first amendment by making it a crime to speak or write maliciously of the president or of Congress. President John Adams justified it by defining it as “intent to defame” or to bring either “into contempt or disrepute.” This act restricted the first amendment by limiting freedom of speech and of the press. This act stifled legitimate political...
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...The freedom of speech which we enjoy is contained within the rights protected under the First Amendment, a part of the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution as the first ten amendments in order to gain acceptance and ultimately the adoption of the Constitution. Many have questioned the intent of our founding fathers with regard to speech and the freedoms associated with it. Throughout history, there have been many interpretations of the First Amendment, and just as many questions pertaining to which types of speech are protected. When this country was founded, many of the principles that were important to our founding fathers were important because of their experiences with the British rule. They wanted to ensure the new country and system of government they formulated would protect specific rights of its citizens. The purpose of the First Amendment was to guarantee freedom from governmental control. The founders of our government had enough foresight to see that no other right would be secure without the rights guaranteed within the First Amendment (Kanovitz, 2010), thus it has been stated that this is the most important of all the amendments (Monk, 2003). They left the language general allowing for the ability to make changes to the Constitution (Tueber, 1988). There were five rights specifically stated in the language of the First Amendment. These rights were freedom of religion, the press, speech, assembly and the ability...
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...Freedom of Religion, Speech and the Press The first amendment is part of the United States Constitution in a short portion called the United States Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is one of the high laws of our land. “It guarantees that the United States government can never deprive people in the United States of certain fundamental rights,” according to aclu.org. 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,” according to nccs.net. This means that us as Americans have the right to...
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...Hi The articles "Freedom of Speech: Missouri Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v. Kansas City" and "Freedom of Religion: Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association" both engage in conflicts pertaining to the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. "Freedom of Speech: Missouri Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v. Kansas City" is an article about the KKK's attempt to spread their beliefs through a public access cable television channel. Dennis Mahon and Allan Moran, both of the KKK, asked to be broadcasted on air in 1987, and the whole situation led to a major problem. The KKK is known for its killings, prejudice, and cross burnings, and they wanted to be shown on television to further spread their message. The First Amendment states the right to the freedom of speech, but many of the community members had a problem with the whole situation. People with race relations, local leaders, and members of the cable company did not want to grant the KKK the right to appear on air. Black ministers and important politicians were not happy with the KKK's request to voice their opinions. The KKK complied with all of the rules that were presented by the cable company, even when they were told to create a locally produced show and receive training in video production. They happily obeyed the regulations and didn't cause additional problems to what they were soon to face. The cable company studio was located in a neighborhood that was 95% black, and violence was a major concern for the cable...
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...Recently there was an incident in New York, where a student closed her middle school ceremony in prayer. They are deciding if it is a violation of the First Amendment even if it was given by a student (Haynes). There was another problem in Washington when a Football coach Joe Kennedy prayed with his players after a football game, he was put on a paid administrative leave because the school district didn't want to be seen as endorsing religion(Fox News). It has been a big problem in our American Society, causing a lot of problems in schools like teachers get fired and officers trying to settle ceremonies after surprise prayers and some people believe it is restricting their faith and belief. If we include the “Prayer Amendment” (Amendment 28) it will solve the problems in the school. The “Prayer Amendment”, will specifically permit prayer during school meetings and during school hours without getting in trouble....
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