The first amendment in us goverment, History

Assignment Help:

The First Amendment

When the Constitution was written in 1787, some Americans feared that the new form of government that it created was too powerful. Many citizens wanted the Constitution to include a Bill of Rights, spelling out the rights of citizens and restricting the powers of government. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, written by James Madison in 1789 and ratified two years later, are known as the Bill of Rights.

The First Amendment guarantees the freedoms that are most cherished by Americans, including freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Here is the text of the First Amendment:

"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 their Government for a redress of grievances."

James Madison and the other Framers believed that citizens' freedom of conscience, their ability to determine matters of faith and opinion for themselves, was essential to liberty. They knew well that disputes over religion had led to political intolerance and even bloodshed in European history over the past three centuries, and sought to avoid a similar fate in the new United States. So, the First Amendment prohibits the government from supporting a religion (an established religion is one officially supported or approved by government), or, many believe, even supporting religion generally.

 


Related Discussions:- The first amendment in us goverment

Emperor charlemagne spread christianity, The Emperor Charlemagne spread Chr...

The Emperor Charlemagne spread Christianity among the Saxons by what?

Salutary neglect - british and usa, Salutary Neglect - can someone please e...

Salutary Neglect - can someone please explain what this means with reference to the British and USA? Thanks

Show evolution of the various communities in north america, List and chart,...

List and chart, briefly, the evolution of the various communities in North America between the arrival of Columbus to 1776. Why were the English/British colonies able to grow and u

What food was heavily purchased from north, What food stuff was heavily pur...

What food stuff was heavily purchased from the North by Great Britain during the Civil War? A. meat     C. vegetables B. grains    D. fruits

Why was considered so important to include in constitution, Looking at the ...

Looking at the Bill of Rights choose 2 or 3 and explain what you think the original intent was for each amendment that you choose. Why was each considered so important to include i

What role did eisenhower play, what role did eisenhower play during the col...

what role did eisenhower play during the coldwar during the communist victory in china on american foreign policy in the 1950s How did trade influence the development of sub-Sah

Challenging the fundamental principles of capitalism, The progressives were...

The progressives were a: challenging the fundamental principles of capitalism. b ; a totally brand -new movement. c: never a single group seeking a single objective. d: united in t

Reaction of the older states to these democratic trends, What was the react...

What was the reaction of the older states to these democratic trends

Slavery developed more slowly in north america, Slavery developed more slow...

Slavery developed more slowly in North America than in the English West Indies because: A. it was a longer trip from Africa to North America, making slavery less profitable. B.

Explain current undergraduate population, Which is an inaccurate descriptio...

Which is an inaccurate description of the current undergraduate population? 1) Almost half of the current undergraduate population is over 24 years old 2) A large majority of

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd