The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution added in 1891 as part of the Bill of Rights protects the rights of free speech, a free press, freedom to assemble or form groups and the freedom to contact and lobby government. Do you think that the right to contact and lobby government was intended to be granted to individuals only, or do those rights extend to businesses & other organizations as well? The Constitution guarantees all the right to lobby, along with the right to practice religion freely, to express opinions in public and to rally for a cause. The First Amendment states: 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 …show more content…
Corporations claim that the intention of the Bill of Rights was to prevent: domination of public thought and discourse. Corporations have often considered in some court decisions to have many of the same rights as citizens, including their right to lobby officials for what they want. As a result, the legality of lobbying took "strong and early root" in the country. Contradiction comes into the picture when under state and federal laws, corporations are “persons” that can be prosecuted, and that any court decision cannot transform corporations into “persons” under the Constitution’s protection of rights. The Rights under the Constitution are for all “persons” and thus cater to as human rights. The Constitution cannot be changed by state or federal laws or majority vote; it can be changed only by the process of amendment as set forth in Article 5 of the Constitution. Corporations have never been added to the definition of “persons” by using amendments by the