The Constitution of the United States of America gains so much attention through the way it is established. The list begins with the [first] ten amendments which are known as the Bill of Rights. This Bill is significantly meant to address the people or the society of the United States. And most particularly, the First Amendment responds to one of the great needs of every people. Through this amendment comes the most essential freedom any individual could have.
In a summary, the First Amendment states that the people should be given the freedom to observe any of their religious practices; that they should be given the right of speech, press, and assembly; and that they should be allowed to make petitions to Government. And what seems to be the most important part of this amendment is the freedom to make petitions to the Government. Such civil liberty is definitely not given in every country around the world. Yet for the American society this serves as a very vital part of their society, and for many years it made great impact upon the various aspects of the government. The First Amendment seems to be the most important since it makes way for the unity in mind among the people and the government. This freedom allows the people to bring up their concerns to the government, and the government, in return, becomes aware of what the public wants or expects from them. Without such freedom, government will fail to take account of the various opinions and concerns of the populace, and it cannot be considered to be by the people, of the people, or for the people. It is the people that constitute the entire society and the leadership should respond [in every rightful way] to these concerns. It is obvious that the few members in the leadership of the government will not be enough to determine what needs to be established in the society for the good of everyone. People’s thoughts and opinions will certainly serve beneficial to the administration of the government and its many branches. Thus, this leads to the unity of the mind within the society. Although there are some concerns that will not be granted by the government, such as in the case of the legalization of same-sex marriage where many opposed it, the majority of what will bring good to everyone in the society will be determined and be addressed accordingly.
Nevertheless, what also made the First Amendment important is the “balance” established within it. It could be asked, “Are all citizens absolutely free to criticize the government and request political changes upon their discretion?” The amendment does not allow any abusive speech and/or action against the government. For instance, many people make riotous movements through destruction of public structures. This cannot be tolerated lightly. There are some individuals in history who advocated the assembly of many people for the purpose of overthrowing the government through violent and unlawful ways. But the amendment also gives the government the right to stand against such people. The amendment does not absolutely give freedom to the people without any limit. The freedom to do whatever they want to is granted to them as long as it is just and right, not at the expense of making greater conflicts. The leadership in the government gets assigned by the people for the administration of the social, political, and other matters in the society. Thus, the people should see to it that they follow whoever they choose to rule over them. Indeed, they have the right to express their opinions and some criticisms against the government. Nevertheless, such should be done in just and lawful ways. If they are to deal with the government and its legal/political position, the people should make actions legally as well. Therefore, what’s good in the amendment is that gives the civil rights of the people but also puts some limits to it so that it is not taken for granted at the expense of the government.
References
Jones, M. (2011). The First Amendment: Freedom of speech, the press, and religion. New York: New York University Press.
Saunders, K. W. (2004). Saving our children from the First Amendment. New York, NY: Rosen Publishing Group.
