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First Amendment Essay Research Paper 1st amendment

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First Amendment Essay, Research Paper

1st amendment rights Under the Bill of Rights of our constitution, Americans are

given basic human rights which cannot be taken away. Sometimes these rights

conflict with each other, causing debate. The 1st amendment causes many

controversial issues to arise. This amendment gives us the freedoms of speech,

press, and religion. Freedom of speech is one of those very controversial

issues. I feel pretty strongly about our right to freedom of speech. In other

countries you could be killed for saying negative things about your government.

Here in America, you can call the president a fat idiot who should be shot, and

not face any penalty. I do believe that people should restrict themselves to

saying appropriate things at appropriate times. For example not yelling

?fire? in a crowded area where many innocent people would get trampled. A

very controversial issue of freedom of speech is the issue of art. Art is a form

of freedom of speech. And as some British artists have recently showed us, some

people have some very twisted things they want to say through their artwork.

Although I do not agree with the way some artists choose to express themselves

(such as Sensation), I do think that they have the right to do so. People do not

have to view the work if they do not want to. Freedom of the press also arouses

much debate. This is one topic I tend to sometimes question. Although I feel it

is very important for the public to know what is going on in our country,

sometimes I feel it is better not to know. For example when the press wanted to

print the Pentagon Papers it was a threat to our national security. I think

also, the press influences people or gives them ideas. When tragedies such as

the one in Littleton, Colorado occur, it is not necessary to show live coverage

of frantic people running for their lives. I don?t think it was right to put

that tragedy on national television. The attention the press gave to that

situation also put many other people in danger. Practically every school in the

nation had a bomb threat after that, and some of them checked out to be serious.

The publicity that the tragedy got, gave other kids ideas and thoughts of how to

repay those they had a grudge against. The third freedom given to us by the 1st

amendment is the freedom of religion. This is a freedom I am personally very

grateful for. The first provision of this freedom gives me the right to any

religion I choose to follow. I think every American is grateful for this

freedom, no matter what religion they are. As a Christian, I have the right to

worship God without being persecuted for doing so. The second provision states

that there must be a division between church and state. I think this is also

very important. When there is a theocracy, things tend to get very corrupt. You

get priests imposing mandatory tithes (such as in the Middle Ages), and making

statements that if you don?t follow the law of the land; you also won?t be

going to heaven. Although I feel this way I think it would be nice if prayer was

allowed in the schools. But I do understand that this would violate the

separation of church and state. All of these freedoms have been granted to us by

the 1st amendment of the Bill of Rights. Without these freedoms, I think our

country would be a horribly corrupt society.