Disagreement to the ratification of the Constitution was partly based on the Constitution's need of satisfactory guarantees for civil liberties. To give such guarantees, the First Amendment was submitted to the states for ratification on September 25, 1789 and adopted on December 15, 1791. Without the First Amendment, religious minorities could be persecuted, the government might well establish a national religion, protesters could be silenced, the press could not criticize
The First 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. The First Amendment makes it legal to burn the American Flag. Lastly, flag burning should not be illegal because, if it were to be, Americans would have their right taken away. As Supreme Court Justice William Brennan stated, in a flag burning case, "Punishing desecration of the flag dilutes the very freedom that makes this emblem so
Throughout history we have seen so many different changes, from freedom of slaves, to equality among men and women. Today moreso than in the past, women have been given every opportunity that men are now given and are truly equal among men. Bill of Rights The Declaration of Independence had a profound effect upon the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. The Declaration, it seems,
Madison and the other 56 delegates gathered in Philadelphia in May 1787. They planned to amend the Articles of Confederation. They ended up creating a new constitution, and Madison became the chief recorder of information. He had previously helped create Virginia’s constitution, thus he understood the process of creating a constitution more than the other delegates who didn’t have as much experience. Madison strongly encouraged a strong central government.
Civil liberties are the personal rights and freedom that the government can’t intervene in. Civil liberties can be found in the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States constitution. The states asked the Government to write the Civil rights into the Bill of Rights and they asked for freedom of speech, freedom of press and freedom of religion. Incorporation doctrine states that most protections within the Bill of Rights are applied to the states as well as the federal Government, it allows the Supreme Court to apply the Bill of Rights to the states under the Fourteenth Amendment Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses Under the original understanding of the Constitution, the power of the states was not limited by the Bill of Rights.
While the country was founded on religious beliefs, the separation of church and state is necessary for religious freedom because it leads to better foreign relations, protects the church, and protects democracy. The First amendment of the Constitution says, “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. Const. amend. I. ).” Our focus for the duration of this paper is on the first portion of this amendment relating strictly to religion and the exercise thereof.
The 14th Amendment is the basis of the cases discussed. The 14th Amendment was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866 and ratified on July 9, 1868 as part of the Reconstruction Amendments after the Civil War. The amendment protects the rights of any United States citizen by prohibiting the state and local governments from denying a person of their life, liberty, and property without legislative authority. It also states that each state government must be responsible for equal protection to all citizens and may not discriminate against people of certain groups. The United States of America has always been about citizens’ freedom and the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness and the Constitution and Bill of Rights is what upholds and protects U.S. citizens from the government.
The first amendment in the Constitution of the United States encompasses many immutable rights of its people such as freedom of speech, assembly, press, and lastly, religion. In Engel v. Vitale for example, the Supreme court’s court unanimous decision is rooted in the establishment clause of the first amendment which reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of a religion.” In this pivotal case, aroused the anger of many parents who did not approve of prayer being recited by New York school children. Although it is not unconstitutional to pray in public schools, the Constitution does however forbid the encouragement of recitation in public schools. Therefore in an opinion delivered by Justice Hugo Black, the court reached a decision that encouragement
Bear in mind that the Bill of Rights guarantees that the federal government must ensure the rights contained therein. There is nothing in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights that promises the states will preserve any rights at all. After the Civil War, it became apparent that the Southern states were going to do everything possible to make life difficult for the slaves who were now freed. So the 14th Amendment makes clear in its language that the states must provide all the "privileges or immunities" of citizenship, and the 15th makes clear that race may not affect these rights. Without this language, the states would have been free to do as they pleased (The United States Constitution,
Although it was written in 1789(“The story of the Bill of Rights”), The First Amendment has stood the test of time like a champ. This amendment gives us freedoms that we consider as basic unlike other countries, who are not as fortunate to have them. The US Constitution, Amendment 1 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.” Eventually this amendment caused a lot of court cases to come about. From people protesting to others burning draft cards The Frist Amendment has been used as an excuse for almost anything although not everyone is successful with pleading it. One important case is