The First Amendment
The American People's Freedoms
The First Amendment of the US Constitution
The first amendment in the United States Constitution grants people some of there basic rights and freedoms. They include the following:
1. The Freedom of Speech
2. The Freedom of Religion
3. The Freedom of the Press
4. The Freedom of Assembly
5. The Freedom of Petitioning
We The People...
"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." - United States Constitution
The Freedoms of the First Amendment
Freedom of Religion
Each citizen is granted the right to believe in their own religion. The church and state have boundaries and the government cannot perform actions that will benefit or hurt a certain religion. There are certain restrictions as to what actions followers of each religion can take but these restrictions are very loose.
Freedom of Speech and the Press.
Every person is allowed to say what they want and what they believe in. This means that you cannot be punished because you say something about someone or something. For instance if you said, "I hate Barak Obama," you cannot be punished just because you don't like the president. There are restrictions on this and you must obey the other laws when exercising this right. The freedom of the press allows newspapers, magazines, etc. to be published without governmental restrictions.
Freedom of the Assembly and Petitioning
This freedom of assembly and petitioning allows the people to peacefully gather and petition the government. If the people do not like how the government is performing law enforcement cannot take action against peaceful protests.