Reflecting on the First Amendment

Reflecting on the First Amendment

Joshua Alan Smith

HIS/301

November14, 2012

Glenn Nelson

Reflecting on the First Amendment

Looking back on the First Amendment of The United States Constitution, the freedom of religion, speech, and protest at the time was only a dream. These views were unthinkable considering that the early Americans broke away from a monarchy in which the government was heavily influenced by the Catholic Church. With the monarchy being ran by the Church there was not any room for freedoms unless those freedoms didn’t hurt the church. The First Amendment was a defining factor that motivated many Americans to love the idea of freedom to the extent that Americans love today. The three provisions of the First Amendment are freedom of religion, speech, and protest.

Freedom of Religion

Early Americans came from England where the only choice of religion was Catholicism. Not only was Catholicism their only option for religion but, the church also had a great influence on the how the country was ran. America’s four fathers gave the freedom of religion so that the church could not influence the nation and the people had a choice. Freedom of religion does cause some controversy in today’s America however; many Americans still feel that the freedom of religion is what makes America so different from other nations around the world. Freedom of religion is believed to be one of the most important freedoms that Americans have today.

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech, there are many ways to put freedom of speech into perspective. Perspective however does not mean importance to cover the importance of this right think of this, with the freedom of religion there will be several religions practice in one country. Controversy will arise and there will come a time an American will have to defend their beliefs without the freedom of speech then freedom of religion might as well not exist, due to the fact that it is human nature not to make tolerance a...