The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land, it lays out and explains all rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens of the United States. The Constitution also sets a structure for the countries federal government. Within the Constitution there is a Bill of Rights that contains ten of the twenty-seven amendments withheld in the Constitution.
Each amendment in the Bill of rights has its own particular significance and validity. The first amendment grants people’s freedoms as citizens of the United States. This amendment guarantees citizens freedoms concerning speech, religion, petition, assembly, and press.
Each and everyone of these freedoms are extremely important in order to maintain a prosperous country. Out of the five freedoms, the three most important freedoms are the freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, and the freedom of press.In the Constitution freedom of religion is one of the three most important freedoms, freedom of speech, religion, and press.
The freedom of religion guarantees that, ” Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, ” this states that this freedom allows one to practice whichever religion, if any, one chooses. Within the Constitution the freedom of religion is divided into two clauses. The Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from initiating an official federal religion for the country. This helps in making sure that the United States can never be ruled under religious control. The Free Exercise Clause allows all American citizens to practice any religion one chooses. It also grants the right to perform any religious traditions or rituals, as long as it does not break any laws. Back in the colonial time period in America, many immigrants from various countries fled to America in hope to escape religious persecutions and to gain religious freedoms.
This freedom is still used today by American citizens as it was back when the Constitution was first made. The freedom of religion is a great privilege, many countries do not grant such a freedom. There are people that live in constant fear and worry that they may be punished and ridiculed for their religious beliefs, if those beliefs don’t coincide with their countries beliefs. Here in the United States all citizens are afforded the right to able to freely attend church, or any other religious gathering without being persecuted and punished for doing so.
Religion plays a big role in many american citizens lives, and it’s very important that citizens get the freedom to practice any religion one chooses, if any. In a recent poll done Pew Research Center it shows that about 74 percent of the United States is religiously affiliated, this proves that the freedom of religion is essential. It’s no doubt that the freedom of religion is very important to the United States, the Freedom of religion is a great freedom included in the first Amendment and the United States surely would not be that same without it.Another very important freedom granted in the first Amendment of the Bill of Rights is the Freedom of Press. The freedom of press is the right to express ideas and opinions and have it written, shared, and viewed through print or the media, without censorship or punishment. Of course like any other freedom there are limitations to this freedom, like one can not reveal confidential government information in the press.
Censorship is a big issue today, in many countries the government prohibits the press from publishing certain pieces of information. The Government will censor the media being distributed to its citizens in order to hide the truth, in fear of the citizens being upset or scared of their countries Government. In the United States, all American citizens fortunately have the right to publish and view all information through the press without being punished.
The freedom of press was created due to the high demand of colonists in the 1700s to remove censorship, back then there was strict policies and punishments for expressing any disagreement with the government. Now days all citizens can freely express all ideas through press without being persecuted for doing so. In today’s world social media is so prominent, that it makes it extremely important that citizens have the freedom of press. The freedom of press is so important to create a free society, without it, the United States could not flourish.
The last and most important freedom in the first amendment of the bill of rights is the freedom of speech. The freedom of speech is a fundamental and the most crucial freedom in the United States Constitution, and its a basic human right. The Freedom of speech freedom grants people the right to speak and express all ideas and opinions freely without being punished or persecuted. Although like any other freedom there are some limitations to this freedom. The United States Constitution does not protect these forms of speech Obscenity, Blackmailing, Defamation of Character (including Libel and Slander), the freedom also does not protect other form of Fighting Words. The freedom of speech is used all day, every single day by millions of people in the United States. A quote from an article called the importance of 21st Century Speech, relating to and explaining the significance and need for the freedom of speech states, “The notion of free speech—and, by extension, its cousin, free expression—tends to be uplifted as a beautiful thing, a fundamental part of a free society, a key ingredient of our democracy, and all of these other truisms.” (Gorelle, 2011).
What the author was trying to convey was that the freedom of speech is very important in order to maintain a free and flourishing country. Without the freedom of speech our country would be extremely limited to what speech was allowed, also people would not be able to express any ideas that contradicted the government’s beliefs. The Freedom of Speech ties in with all the other freedoms granted in the United States Constitution. This freedom is the base of the United States. Without the freedom of speech, all the other rights that are guaranteed in the first amendment could not be utilized. There is no doubt that the freedom of speech is the most used and essential freedom in the Constitution. In other countries people are persecuted for expressing their opinions and ideas.
In the United States we have a freedom that many people take for granted. The freedom of speech is a vital and key principle in keeping the united states prosperous. This freedom reinforces every other human right and it allows the United States to strengthen and grow. The freedom of speech is what keeps the United States standing, the freedom to speak freely and express our own opinions is necessary in order for change to come about in a society, and in order to keep the United States a free and thriving Country. In conclusion, the first amendment is very important. Its a key principle in today’s world.
Without the freedom of Religion, Speech, and Press, the three most important freedoms granted in the first amendment, citizens lives would be very different and unethical. The first amendment grants basic human rights. Without it we could not speak freely, express opinions through the press, petition laws, peacefully assemble, or practice any religion freely, without being punished. Many people take citizens first amendment rights for granted and don’t understand its importance in today’s world. The First Amendment helped structure the United States, and is crucial in order to assure that the United States maintains a free and strong country.
