Originally Posted by
Rick Donaldson
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.
This Amendment to the Constitution is the first Amendment and the first one of the "Bill of Rights". The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments and were put in place due to the opposition of people to the ratification of the Constitution because of the lack of protections for Civil Liberties.
Originally, the First Amendment applied only to laws enacted by the Congress. However, starting with Gitlow v. New York, the Supreme Court has applied the First Amendment to each state. This was done through the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court has also recognized a series of exceptions to provisions protecting the freedom of speech.
Americans have the right to their opinions and free speech.
There are however, along with those freedoms, responsibilities that few remember or understand. Just because you have a right to speak freely this doesn't mean you can incite a riot, though some believe that it is ok.
