Transcript The First Amendment

The{ First 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.
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.
First Amendment Principles
1.
It affirms the freedom
of the individual.
Affirm means to state as true
 We are born with natural rights. The
government’s job is not to “give” us
rights, but to protect the rights we have
been born with.

2.
Free expression is the
foundation of a democracy.
* The idea is to allow people to share information to
make choices in order to prevent bad government.
3.
The government must keep
its “hands off” our religion,
our ideas, and our ability to
express ourselves.
*Congress should not be passing laws that take away
our first amendment freedoms. However, our
freedoms are not absolute.
4.
Other people have rights, too.
* We have a civic responsibility to safeguard freedom
even for people who we disagree with. The public and
the government should not have the authority to stop
an unpopular idea. The viewpoint of the minority must
also be respected.
5.
The first amendment helps us
make choices.
*When all ideas are permitted to flourish, individuals
will as well.
* “The antidote to distasteful speech is not censorship,
but more speech.”
6. When rights collide,
the government must
balance them.
The Three R’s
Rights (The first protects our
individual rights)
Responsibilities (We must
help protect the individual
rights of all people)
Respect (We can disagree, but
do so with respect)
Freedom of Religion
We can …
*choose which religion
we want to practice or
none at all
*express our religious
beliefs without fear of
persecution
Pakistan Blasphemy
We cannot …
The Government cannot
…




Establish a national religion
Favor one religion over
another
Interfere with our religious
beliefs
Called the “Establishment
Clause” – sets up separation
of church and state
Freedom of Speech
We can …
•
Voice and express our
ideas and opinions
We cannot …


•
http://www.npr.org/bl
ogs/thetwoway/2012/11/19/165466
671/outrage-in-indiaover-womans-arrestfor-facebook-post
Use certain forms of
speech (see handout)
Slander (tell lies that
hurt another person’s
reputation)
Freedom of the Press
We can …


Criticize our
government without
fearing arrest
Get information and
hear different opinions
(Covers all forms of print and
electronic media)
We cannot …
*Print lies about a person
that would damage their
reputation
(Many of the same limits
with free speech also
apply to the press)
China's Freedom of
Press... or lack thereof
Freedom of Assembly
We can …


Meet and gather with
others to discuss views
and issues
Form groups and
associations
We cannot …
Be disorderly or violent
 Violate the rights of
others or laws
(Restrictions can be
placed on the “time,
place, and manner” of the
gatherings)
8th Grade Winning Essay

Freedom of Petition
We can ….




Ask our government for
change or to hear our
complaints
We can criticize our
government and its
officials without fear of
punishment
We can do this through
letters, emails, petitions,
telephone calls
Start your own petition!
We cannot ….
*Make libelous or
slanderous claims against
the government