First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
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.
The Banner News staff asked students and staff during Constitution Day 2017 to share their favorite freedom in the First Amendment (religion, speech, press, assemble, petition). The responses we received are below:
My Favorite Freedom of the First Amendment is
Establishment of religion BECAUSE it’s really important for me to practice it freely.
Free speech BECAUSE I like saying what I want without fear of the state.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE it gives people the change to talk about situations without getting arrested.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE I can voice my opinion and others can as well.
Speech BECAUSE I can say what’s on my mind. (3 copies of this answer)
Freedom of speech BECAUSE people can express themselves without total fear of judgment.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE it is good to be able to speak your mind instead of someone telling you what to believe in.
Right to peaceably assemble BECAUSE without protest we can’t fight for or protect our rights.
Freedom of religion BECAUSE the freedom to worship is central to who I am. A freedom to worship is taken for granted in this country.
Abridging the freedom of speech BECAUSE many of us do not get to express what we feel on the Constitution. If they would live by it and In God We Trust our country and Constitution would not be under investigating speech.
Congress shall make no law respecting an est. of Religion BECAUSE allows me to be me and practice my religion not to be dictated by others.
Shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof BECAUSE theoretically the government cannot restrict my right to practice my own religion, which is sadly something that happens in a lot of other countries. Also that meant that whatever the ruling majority religion is, they can’t inflict themselves on the government.
Speech BECAUSE it allows the people to be free to make their decisions on their views.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE I believe that everyone shoudl be able to speak their minds (as long as no one is physically hurt.)
Press BECAUSE journalists should be allowed to speak freely without fear of backlash or retraction from politicians.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE it allows me to be myself and express my beliefs as an individual.
All BECAUSE they are cool!
Freedom of speech and to petition the government for a redress of grievances BECAUSE it’s nice to be able to say what we want and also it’s good knowing that if we have a problem we can protest. It’s good know that the government can’t control us.
The 1st BECAUSE I believe everyone, no matter how small, should have a voice.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE you can voice your opinion.
Speech BECAUSE it’s the easiest way to reveal truth.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE without that freedom my people would not make the gains we have.
*The 8th BECAUSE I don’t want to be waterboarded for going 7 miles over the speed limit. *not in the First Amendment
Assembly of speech BECAUSE people should be able to speak freely and assemble without being criticized.
Speech BECAUSE I think that it’s pivotal to have the freedom of speech to have a successful government.
The freedom of speech BECAUSE it allows me as an individual to express my views and address my grievances without fear of persecution from the state.
Freedom of religion BECAUSE without this freedom I wouldn’t be able to go to church or express my beliefs in religion with others.
Petition BECAUSE it we can’t express our opinions to our elected representation, nothing else matters.
The freedom of speech BECAUSE everyone has the right to be heard without the fear of being jailed.
Freedom of religion BECAUSE I don’t get killed for my faith.
Speech BECAUSE I am me and I do me.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE I say that because you can say what you want when you want.
Freedom of religion BECAUSE me and God cool.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE you can do whatever you want and no one can say about it.
Freedom of speech BECAUSE it’s important to be able to voice your opinion to the world.
All of them BECAUSE they enhance each other and it is a privilege to have these rights. If people would ever let these rights be taken away then they would realize what they mean.
For the people to peaceably assemble BECAUSE I should be able to go to church and assemble without repercussion.