Amendment 1The Bill of Rights

Amendment 1“Congress shall make no law

respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”

Amendment 1What does that mean?

Amendment 1Freedoms:

ReligionSpeechPressAssemblyPetition

Amendment 1What is the freedom of Religion?

What does it mean?

What are some examples of people exercising their freedom of Religion?

What would be a violation of a person’s freedom of religion?

Amendment 1What is the freedom of Speech?

What does it mean?

What are some examples of people exercising their freedom of speech?

What would be a violation of a person’s freedom of speech?

Amendment 1What is the freedom of Press?

What does it mean?

What are some examples of people exercising their freedom of press?

What would be a violation of a person’s freedom of press?

Amendment 1What is the freedom of Assembly?

What does it mean?

What are some examples of people exercising their freedom of assembly?

What would be a violation of a person’s freedom of assembly?

Amendment 1What is the freedom of Petition?

What does it mean?

What are some examples of people exercising their freedom of petition?

What would be a violation of a person’s freedom of petition?

What They Mean-Amendment 1Religion-You can believe what

you want, belong to any religion or no religion.

Speech-You can voice your opinions using words, symbols, or actions.

Press- the government cannot censor information in newspapers, online news sources, TV news broadcasts, etc.

What They Mean-Amendment 1

Assembly- You can gather in a group.

Petition-You can criticize the government, and you can complain about policies that affect you negatively and ask for change.

What did you learn?What First Amendment rights are

being expressed in these situations?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ’s, “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 in Washington, D.C., on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, that was delivered to over 200,000 civil rights supporters?

What did you learn?What about the Washington Post

uncovering the Watergate Scandal during the presidency of 37th President Richard Nixon?

What about the women’s suffrage movement and women finally earning the right to vote when Congress passed the 19th amendment in 1920?

What did you learn? What about an all-night

candle/prayer vigil in memory of a fallen soldier?

What about the creation of a Web site that details the sources of a politicians,’ campaign contributions?

Amendment 1 in SchoolsDoes the First Amendment apply

to schools?

Amendment 1 in Schools Yes. The Supreme Court ruled in Tinker v.

Des Moines Independent School District 1969, that students do not “shed” their free-speech rights “at the schoolhouse gate”. This means that public school students retain some level of free-expression rights, even during the school day. (Facts of the case- The school heard that the kids were going to wear black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War and passed a policy banning armbands. The students were suspended.)

Amendment 1 in SchoolsDo students have the same level

of First Amendment rights as adults?

Amendment 1 in SchoolsNo. The Supreme Court also said

in the Tinker Case that students’ rights must be considered against the “special characteristics of the school environment.” Speech that substantially disrupts schools activities, for example, is not protected by the First Amendment.