Bill+of+Rights+Palmla19

=The 1st 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 the Government for a redress of grievances."

Description
Congress isn't allowed to make laws that prohibit the people from practicing the religion they choose to. This means that Congress can't all of a sudden pass a law that all citizens of the United States have to be Christian. The first amendment allows people to classify themselves in whatever religion they choose to believe in, like Islamic, Judaism, Buddhism, Hindu, or Christianity. Congress also can't declare that everyone in the United States shall be prohibited from practicing any religion of any kind at all and force them to be atheists. The government can't prohibit us from expressing our opinion. Whether it's through the press, public speaking, or through social media. However, there are limitations to just how far we can go with things like freedom of speech, just like there are some limitations to everything in life. Congress can't prohibit people from assembling peacefully with others. This means that people have the right to hold assemblies to share and discuss their opinions of the world and the government can't interfere with them. If it gets out of hand though, then they can most likely do something. The first amendment allows citizens to petition and make complaints against the government without being punished. The first amendment allows us to do all these things in some way, shape, or form. Isn't that amazing?

Historical Applications
How has this amendment been challenged, defined, applied, or maybe even ignored? Do some research to see if the Supreme Court has made any decisions affecting the amendment you are studying. How have those decisions made a difference in how it is applied today? This amendment was created to exercise our basic freedoms of speech. Over the years it has been applied to society in many ways. Whether it was in public schools or in the community. However, it wasn't always this way. The first amendment didn't always apply to the states meaning it also didn't apply to public schools. Students weren't allowed to have the freedoms of speech in their school environments, so this prohibited them from making first amendment claims against the actions of the school officials. An example of this is when on January 9, 1942 the West Virginia Board of Education made it a requirement for all teachers and pupils to participate in saluting our country by stating the pledge of allegiance every day during school and that anyone who refused to do this was accused of an act of insubordination. Insubordination is a defiance of authority or the refusal to obey orders. So when a student refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance he was expelled and so he then challenged this saying that it was a violation of his first amendment rights. This case was eventually taken to court and the court decided 6-3 that this was a violation to the students rights stated in the first amendment. While this amendment is the one that's most known by the people, you would be surprised how often it has been forgotten. Over the years people has completely ignored and forgotten about this amendment. An example of a time that this amendment was forgotten was in September of 2007, when student Andrew Meyer was tased after expressing his freedom of speech rights at a forum featuring John Kerry, Senator at the time. It wasn't like Senator Kerry wasn't willing to answer Andrew's questions, the forum was designed for the Senator to answer any questions people might have.

Today's Application
This amendment is still applied in today's society. Without this amendment people would be even more unhappy with some things than they already are. An example of this is what's currently happening right now in Ferguson, Missouri. Even though right now all the protesting has gotten way out of hand, it started out as a way to express the people's feelings about the shooting of an unarmed African American teenager by a white police officer. Although the teenager might not have been all that innocent, the people of Ferguson saw this as an act of racism and decided to protest using the first amendment. A way the first amendment has been refined for our generation is the use of it through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. You might have some ideas about how the first amendment is used on social media, or you might be completely clueless as to how it works on social media. Just think about the types of things you might see on sites like Twitter and Tumblr. All the blogs and tweets you might see all will contain opinions about things. Whether it's about bands, books, or politics, they all will contain opinions in some way. College professor Ken Dautrich has conducted many surveys with college students about this topic and how they use social media. His latest survey that was conducted surveyed 12,090 high school students and 900 high school teachers. From this survey it was concluded that 91% of the students that use social media to get news and information daily believe that people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions. However, only 77% of those who don't use social media daily to gather news and information believe people should be allowed to express unpopular opinions. With students using their cell phones they're learning more about the world and freedom without even realizing it! A lot of young people wonder why it's so important for them to exercise their rights to freedom if the courts decide what this amendment means. Well, here's the thing, the courts decisions reflect the long-term changes in the public's attitude. There is an organization called FAP or The First Amendment Project. The First Amendment Project is a non-profit organization that works to protect and promote all the freedoms stated in our first amendment. Over the years, FAP has helped many people, by giving constitutional advice helping them protect their constitutional liberties.

Media
[|Wikipedia Article] [|West Virginia vs Barnette case] [|Social Media Appreciation] [|FAP] [|Andrew Meyer]