Your Most Important Rights
The First Amendment, in my opinion, is arguably one of the most important rights that we have as American citizens in regards to our freedoms. It is the first of the Ten Amendments that make up the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. It is also a right that many American citizens take for granted honestly. Since its ratification in 1791, this amendment has served as the legal blueprint for all Americans’ freedom of expression and religious liberty. The First Amendment limits the government’s ability to restrict the right of all Americans regarding their freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
Have you ever noticed that students who go to public schools are not forced to begin their days with prayer? This is because teachers in public schools are not allowed to force their students to. The First Amendment’s freedom of religion prohibits the government – or any institution overseen by the government such as a public school – from establishing an official religion. It also protects an individual’s right to freely exercise any religious faith – or none if they choose – without the fear of prosecution. This freedom is not common in a majority of countries. For example, in the Southeastern Asian country Burma – now named the Union of Myanmar – the country’s Rohingya Muslims have been denied citizenship since 1982. Although Americans may argue that the country was built on the Christian religion and that this amendment infringes on their religious freedom, it is freedom nonetheless that many countries are not granted.
The First Amendment also prohibits the government from abridging one’s freedom of speech. This amendment prevents the government from making any laws that may stop an American citizen from saying what they may think or feel. It also protects an individual’s right to express their beliefs and ideas through words and symbolic speech. One can share their speech through a variety of forms such as written or spoken words, images, actions, or non-verbal methods, without the involvement of the American government curtailing. This right extends to the inclusion of expressing our opinions and criticism about the government, even if they do not necessarily like or agree with the speech - such as calling one the "N-word". This type of speech is usually seen in the news or any other media platform of one’s freedom of the press. With this freedom, an individual’s right to publish information in print, on television, or on the internet is protected. In most cases, the news and media are free to publish any information or opinion they desire without the government’s interference or censorship. Citizens can share their views on anything from a letter to a blog to a book and the government has no control.
The freedom to assemble is also embedded in the First Amendment. This right protects an individual’s freedom to peacefully gather collectively. This form of collection is usually organized to act on a common idea and accomplish a goal because working in groups can have a larger impact than working as one. A group may also come together to demonstrate their right to petition - such as the many #BlackLivesMatter protests that continued last year despite the ongoing pandemic. The First Amendment also protects citizens’ right to ask the government at any level – local, state, or federal – for adjustments or changes. Citizens have the right to an assembly and petition, however, these rights must be executed peacefully using any legal and nonviolent methods of communicating their concerns. The importance of executing this freedom peacefully was emphasized heavily during one of my class debates last year over whether or not the mayor should grant the permit for an anniversary rally to Unite the Right.
During the in-class debate, the strongest point that the rally group argued was that by not granting them the permit, their First Amendment rights were being violated. They felt that they were being restricted from their freedom of speech and freedom to petition. However, one of the strongest counterarguments was that due to the previous year’s rally and the violence that erupted from it, the rally group should not be given the permit. They failed to execute their petition peacefully during their previous rally, which then resulted in three deaths and a high cost of damages. Our counterargument also made sure to emphasize that the rally group was not being violated of their First Amendment right but that they could not aid the rally group with the needed materials and security to prevent the rally from becoming nonviolent again. These arguments made against granting the permit were clear that the rally would not execute their First Amendment correctly, hence why our group won the debate.
It should be clear that the First Amendment only prohibits the government from restricting an individual’s speech, not anyone else. One’s expression of this freedom can result in punishment from non-government organizations such as expulsion from private schools or being banned from social media platforms. Along with this important fact, there are restrictions on one’s First Amendment rights. These restrictions can include threats, incitement to violence, revealing national security secrets, defamation, and other types of speech that are not constitutionally protected.
I chose to do my first blog post on our First Amendment rights because our organization is a Digital Archive based on oral interviews. By having these oral interviews, we are expressing our and our history's First Amendment rights throughout our everyday job and teaching history to the world while doing so.
Lastly, I did my first blog post on this very essential amendment because it is important to know these freedoms that are embedded in the United States’ First Amendment are rare throughout the rest of the world. More than a third of the world’s internet access is censored and even shut down in some countries - including my own native country Ethiopia currently. The First Amendment is what enables the truth to surface and prevail to the public. This serves as a safeguard against the government’s abuse of power by allowing journalists and others to expose any corruption or tyranny to the public. Without this amendment, the government could establish a national religion or prosecute those of a religious minority as they do in Burma. The government could also silence protesters, punish people for expressing ideas that they may disagree with, or ban citizens from gathering together to work for or against a social change. It is important to understand the importance of this amendment because it is what prohibits the government from restricting one’s speech.
