The First Amendment

The First Amendment

The first week of the class got me thinking about the First Amendment on a deeper level... Well, actually it got me thinking about the First Amendment period. Before the lecture, I never really put that much thought into the First Amendment or any of the Constitution. I never knew there were six clauses to the First Amendment, not five. I think that it is interesting to make the distinction between freedom of religion and freedom from religion. I believe that the difference between the two is very important to recognize. We talked about how the first amendment tells the government what it cannot do. The six freedoms that limit the power of congress are Freedom from religion, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to peaceably assemble, and the freedom to petition. Freedom from religion is the clause that says the government cannot establish an official religion for the United States of America. Freedom of religion is the clause that gives people the right to practice whatever religion they choose, or do not choose. Both of these clauses allow people to participate or not without fear of persecution for whatever they decide is best for themselves. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press is the right to talk about whatever you want or publish a story about any topic as long as it doesn't infringe on another's rights. But "press" is not just limited to news people. It also encompasses any form of speech. Be it a pamphlet or anything of that nature. The right to peaceably assemble and petition says that you can protest as long as you don't start rioting. It is important to know all freedoms expressed in not just the First Amendment but also the Constitution as a whole.