As Americans, the first amendment gives us the right to change things that we believe are wrong. This gives American citizens power to make an impact. There are many controversial topics in our country, things such as gun control and immigration. These controversies cause the citizens of America to speak out about their view on the issue. We have the right to petition, and to protest peacefully, but does this really make an impact on our government’s decisions? These decisions take place at a level higher than students consider themselves to be a part of. Young people are constantly being told that they can’t make a difference, that this is just the way things are. The first amendment implies that all citizens are able to make a difference. …show more content…
I see things that I want to change, whether that be the tyranny of the food industry or the endless cases of school shootings. I hear a never ending stream of things happening that just aren’t right. Students my age are able to access more information than ever before, and with that there should a come a growing ability to change take a stand, to make a difference. There is absolutely no reason that students should feel that the first amendment doesn’t affect them. There is no excuse as to why this happens. You always hear stories of students who try to make a difference, who push towards equality or to help those in need. Still, these students’ ideas are never really taken seriously by our government. Their opinions and ideas are dismissed with the excuse that they are “just a kid.” These teenage role models are not able to make a difference in adult opinions. The only people who take teenagers seriously are other teens. We are teenagers, we are too old not to care about political issues, yet too young to actually have an influence. The youth of America are told to act as adults, yet are treated as children. When a young person wants to talk about the issues in our country, they are told that it doesn’t matter to them, that they don’t understand. Despite this, when a teenager doesn’t appear to care about common controversial American issues, they are thought of as an “ignorant