###### [[First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]] **Covers**:: **Last Edited**:: *7:35 AM - July 08, 2022* **Source**:: https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/page/things-you-need - Five freedoms - speech - [[religion]] - press - assembly - right to petition the [[government]] - from birth - Neutral on the political spectrum - doesn't protect from private employers - Prevents [[government]] from coercing you to speak or not listen - Personal speech is allowed in [[government]] institutions as long as [[government|govt]] employees are not involved #### MarkdownText _“[[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.” – The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution_ 1. The five freedoms it protects: speech, [[religion]], press, assembly, and the right to petition the [[government]]. Together, these five guaranteed freedoms make the people of [[America|the United States]] of [[America]] the freest in the world. 2. Before agreeing to accept the Constitution, the Founders of our [[democratic]] republic demanded that these freedoms be protected by an amendment to the original document – the First Amendment. 3. There’s no “legal age” you have to reach to exercise your First Amendment freedoms. They are guaranteed to you the day you’re born. There’s also no citizenship requirement for First Amendment protection. If you’re in the U.S., you have freedom of speech, [[religion]], press, assembly and petition. 4. The First Amendment is neither “left-wing” or “right-wing.” It can be used to push for social and political change, or to oppose change. The First Amendment is for everyone. 5. The First Amendment protects us against [[government]] limits on our freedom of expression, but it doesn’t prevent a private employer from setting its own rules. 6. The First Amendment prevents [[government]] from requiring you to say something you don't want to, or keeping you from hearing or reading the words of others (even if you never speak out yourself, you have the right to receive information). 7. Students have the right to pray in [[America]]’s public schools, as long as there’s no disruption to school operations and no [[government]] employees (teachers, coaches) are involved. **Looking for a general overview? [Here it is, from the First Amendment Encyclopedia.](https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/page/first-amendment-introduction)** **LINKS** [**Speech**](http://www.newseuminstitute.org/first-amendment-center/topics/freedom-of-speech-2/speech-overview/) What does the First Amendment say about freedom of speech? Can speech be restricted, and if so, when? In this overview, a First Amendment scholar explains what sorts of speech are protected, where free expression may be limited, and why “\[f\]reedom of speech is a core American belief, almost a kind of secular religious tenet, an article of constitutional [[faith]].” [**Press**](http://www.newseuminstitute.org/first-amendment-center/topics/freedom-of-the-press/freedom-of-the-press-overview/) How did freedom of the press come about? Are there restrictions on press freedom? The ways in which this core freedom has developed in law are explained in this overview by a First Amendment scholar. In quotations from one court ruling, “‘\[F\]reedom of expression upon public questions is secured by the First Amendment’” so that “‘debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust and wide-open.’” [**[[religion]]**](http://www.newseuminstitute.org/first-amendment-center/topics/freedom-of-religion/religious-liberty-in-[[america]]-overview/) The First Amendment introduced bold new ideas to the world: that [[government]] must not impose a state [[religion]] on the public, or place undue restrictions on religious practice, but must recognize the right of the people to believe and worship, or not, as their conscience dictates. This First Amendment scholar’s overview makes clear the many aspects of our [[religious freedom]], saying, “That bold constitutional experiment in granting [[religious freedom]] to all remains in place, and in progress, in [[America|the United States]].” [**Assembly**](http://www.newseuminstitute.org/first-amendment-center/topics/freedom-of-assembly/freedom-of-assembly-overview/) Our right to gather in peaceful public protest – in marches, rallies and other assemblies – is another core freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment. As a First Amendment scholar says in this overview, “First Amendment freedoms ring hollow if [[government]] officials can repress expression that they fear will create a disturbance or offend. Unless there is real danger of imminent harm, assembly rights must be respected.” [**Petition**](http://www.newseuminstitute.org/first-amendment-center/topics/freedom-of-petition/freedom-of-petition-overview/) This least-known First Amendment freedom is nevertheless crucial to our [[democratic]] republic’s form of [[government]]. “Petition is the right to ask [[government]] at any level to right a wrong or correct a problem,” writes a First Amendment scholar in this overview detailing how the right of petition works in our [[government]], and the forms it takes. [**First Amendment Encyclopedia**](http://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/encyclopedia) _A comprehensive research compilation covering all aspects of First Amendment law._ [**First Amendment Center Archives**](http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/) _Archival site of the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center, containing news and commentary on First Amendment issues through 2012._ [**First Amendment Timeline**](http://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/page/first-amendment-timeline) _Significant historical events, court cases and ideas that have shaped our current system of constitutional First Amendment jurisprudence, compiled by the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center._