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

What was significance of bismarck''s famous quotation, What was the signifi...

What was the significance of Bismarck's famous quotation: "The great questions of the day will not be decided by speeches and resolutions - that was the blunder of 1848 and 1849 -

Historians of the early 19th century america, Virtually all the distinguish...

Virtually all the distinguished historians of the early 19th century america came from a. the south b. mid atlantic states c. new england d. the midwest e. the frontier

Mesopotamian marriage contract, Mesopotamian Marriage Contract, 1700 BCE Ma...

Mesopotamian Marriage Contract, 1700 BCE Marriage was one of the earliest legal documents. As civilizations began to craft ideas of ownership, the rather egalitarian format of Neol

World trade organization, World Trade Organization (WTO) The World Trad...

World Trade Organization (WTO) The World Trade Organization came into being in 1995. One of the youngest of the international organizations, the WTO is the successor to the Gen

Jonathan sewall''s defense of brithish policies, How would you compares Jon...

How would you compares Jonathan Sewall's defense of brithish policies and John Adams's against them? What threats did sewall see in the colonial challenge to british authorit? what

Functions of the civil rights act of 1964, What are the functions of the Ci...

What are the functions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

Which american war general would betray the colonists, Which American war g...

Which American war general would betray the colonists during the American Revolution?

Describe political culture during justinian 2019 rule, 1. How well do the B...

1. How well do the Blues and the Greens get along? What does Justinian do, if anything, to encourage them to work together? 2. What obstacles were there to Justinian marrying Th

Eureka Stockade , : What was the build up to the Eureka Stockade like

: What was the build up to the Eureka Stockade like?

Democratic party''s role in maintaining racial segregation , What was the D...

What was the Democratic Party's role in maintaining racial segregation in the South? What happened within the party when the party began to support civil rights for black Souther

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