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

Explain who were the most important reformers of the age, The new democrati...

The new democratic age of the 1820s, '30s, and '40s not only witnessed the advent of universal white male suffrage but also a strong impulse for social reform, which was often supp

What is the shot-term and long-term impact, what is the shot-term and long-...

what is the shot-term and long-term impact from the war in Afghanistan on the people and the environment?

What would an ideal ruler, What would an ideal ruler be like for Confucian,...

What would an ideal ruler be like for Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist ideologies?

Study of the past raise, What questions or concerns does the study of the p...

What questions or concerns does the study of the past raise?at leat two sentences How do we answer those questions and resolve these concerns? at least two senten

How did the events of urbanization and industrialization, How did the event...

How did the events of Urbanization, Industrialization and Immigration after the Civil War change the Nature of American Education? And what would be a good thesis statement to answ

Important goal of political leaders, An important goal of political leaders...

An important goal of political leaders after the ratification of the Constitution became to convince the non-slave states to tolerate slavery. to maintain the balance of power betw

Evaluate president''s eisenhowers farewell address, President Eisenhower's ...

President Eisenhower's Farewell address of January 17, 1961, is considered of the most important and prophetic statements by any president leaving office. In a two to three page

Imperialism became a leading but controversial topic, Imperialism became a ...

Imperialism became a leading but controversial topic during this time period. Outline the argument both for and against imperialism. Was imperialism un-American? Why, or why not?

The Western Heritage, 2. The period between 1848 - 1871 saw several governm...

2. The period between 1848 - 1871 saw several government changes in France. How were Western values expressed in the Second Republic, the Second Empire, and the Paris Commune? In y

Geographical range and time period, these are seven page research papers on...

these are seven page research papers on a topic of your choice that falls within our geographical range and time period (ca. 3.5 million years ago to 1500 C.E. anywhere in the worl

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