First Amendment- Freedom of Religion, Speech , the Press, to Assemble, and Petition

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.


In my opinion, the first amendment outlines the freedoms that separate America from the rest of the world. Freedom of religion, the right to exercise it, the right to speak your mind, verbally and in the media, and the right the protest peaceably about issues you do not agree with are rights that only exist in America. In every other country it seems as though people may legally have rights such as freedom of speech but if they actually try to speak their minds there is a good chance that they could criminally punished. I realize that in America there are times when someone speaks their mind and others may think of them differently but only here is there no threat of legal action. It also allows us the right to protest and petition when we feel our rights have been violated. As Americans we are not at the will of our government. We have the power to stand up for what we believe and do so legally. I value the rights discussed in the First Amendment more than all the others. If these rights were not in place then the others would be obsolete.




My Opinion: I chose this video in part because of its irony. This lady is rambling on about how there is no freedom of speech in the United States yet she is doing in a video that is publish on a public site for all to see. It would be one thing if she put it up there and it got taken down but no, it is still there. In this instance she is enforcing her first amendment right of freedom of speech. There is one thing she got right however. If our freedom of speech is being decreased it is not because of laws against it but because of people who do not stand up for their rights.