Pros And Cons Of The First Amendment

Writing Pre-Assessment The essay goes into detail about the 3 parts of the first amendment, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of speech and of the press, and Freedom of assembly and petition. They are 3 strong parts of the amendment and could be seen as controversial in the eyes of a lot of people. Even though these cause controversy, the first amendment should still hold limitations. The first amendment is the Freedom of Speech, giving people the right to speak and act freely as long as it is not out of line. It also gives people the right to peacefully protest, but some people do take it out of line, as an example, the 2020 riots. These were supposed to be peaceful protests but ended up destroying hundreds of shops, restaurants, and

The establishment part stops the government from making an official church, so people of different religions can practice their religion wherever they please. That part is fine but the second part, free exercise, is where the problems start. Nowhere in the constitution does it say “Separation of church and state” (USHistory.org). Even though Jefferson did make a statement not agreeing with the constitution, there have been numerous court cases that involve rejection of prayer in public places, such as schools, and other public places. Everyone, no matter what religion, should be able to practice their religion wherever they please and without punishment.

The second part of the first amendment is the freedom of speech and the press. This part of the amendment sparks a lot of controversy because the freedom of speech can be taken way out of line sometimes. A great example are threats, if someone makes a threat it is supposed to be taken seriously, but the first amendment gives the right to people to make comments like this. So if threats get taken to the supreme court, and the court is given no evidence of the person following through with it, then they legally cannot do