Our Five Freedoms of the First Amendment

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The United States Constitution is an old document. In fact, this December, the Bill of Rights will be 223 years old.  This United States document may seem old and out dated, but it provides protection to the citizens of the United States.  The first amendment alone protects us in five different ways: freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom to petition.

Freedom of Speech:

Freedom of speech is the human right to express themselves and say what they want without government interference.  The ability to speak what you want is something that is not accepted in all countries.  This right, given to us by the first amendment in the Bill of Rights, has some limitations including libel, slander, obscenity, sedition, and copyright violation.

Freedom of Press:

Freedom of the press allows journalist to freely publish what they want through various mediums including electronic and printed media.  There are many organizations and resources regarding freedom of the press including, the World Press Freedom Committee.

Freedom of Religion:

Freedom of religion means that no person, community, or government can enforce a religion and that anyone can practice whatever religion (or none at all) they desire.  This concept is closely related to a term formed by Thomas Jefferson called “separation of church and state”.

Freedom of Assembly:

This is the individual right allowing individuals to collectively gather and to express, promote, and defend any cause. This part of the first amendment is recognized as a human right, political right, and a civil liberty.

Freedom to Petition:

Lastly, freedom of petition allows individuals to ask the government to appeal or change policies and laws.  Petitions can be formal or informal but they must be asking for an action by a group or government.

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