Many of us would have a problem listing the Amendments of the Constitution if we were

asked. We could probably get the First and Second but after that we would be a little lost. If
shown a list of the Amendments the average American would recognize most of them, they just
never realized that it was the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution that allowed them to not
incriminate themselves, or the Sixth that gives them a jury of their peers. Just because they
don’t immediately come to mind when talking about Constitutional Amendments doesn’t mean
they are any less important than the others. But if I had to pick an Amendment out of the Bill of
Rights that impacts us most today it would be the First Amendment. The First Amendment is
number one for a reason, it covers so much and is so broad, in a lot of ways it highlights what it
means to be an American. The First Amendment is the most important in the Bill of Rights
because it protects citizen’s freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom to peacefully
assemble.
The First Amendment gave Americans the right to freedom of religion which was since
its inception a unique idea. Coming from Britain where they were forced to be followers of the
Church of England it was important to set the precedent that in America you could worship how
you pleased. Freedom of religion has shaped our county through the years and you can still see
Quaker influences in America today. In 2019 President Trump held a religious freedom
conference to discuss how important it is for human rights. Some researchers discuss that the
religious freedoms granted in the First Amendment are the first stepping stone to the rest of the
amendment because it starts with your feelings and thoughts saying those are protected, then
followed by your freedom to speak those thoughts and then share those thoughts with the
masses when you get to the freedom of press and assembly.
Freedom of speech was another unique idea, nowhere else in the world could you
criticize your own government and not at least go to jail. America paved the way for freedom of
expression, although there are still plenty of places in the world were criticizing the government
will get you thrown in jail, and without this freedom progress as a country could be limited.
Freedom of speech is a powerful tool, citizens can criticize lawmakers openly and demand
change. This last year freedom of speech has been a hot topic due to former President Donald
Trump getting banned from most social media platforms due to his speech. There are many
who say that he should be able to say whatever he wants due to his First Amendment rights but
many of us already know that you can’t already post whatever you want on social media so I
think the question is are the lines of what is okay or not being redrawn? Should they be?
The freedom to peacefully assemble is often overlooked by its two big brothers. But the
freedom to peacefully assemble is important for many of the same reasons, as normally
protesters are gathering together to demand change (often by some government body), without
the First Amendment the government could just throw all protesters in jail. The Suffrage Parade
in 1913 was a peaceful protest that largely contributed to the passing of the 19th Amendment
which gave women the right to vote. But there is a state who is trying to take away its citizen’s
right to peacefully assemble. In January of this year Florida proposed a bill that would make it
illegal to walk or stand in a public street even if you had a permit to do so, and restrict the
gathering of two or more people who are trying to change the viewpoint of others. This is a clear
violation of citizens' First Amendment right to peacefully protest.
In conclusion, the First Amendment is the most important in the Bill of Rights because it
allows us to think what we want, say what we want, and share those thoughts with others
without the threat of being persecuted by the government. These are rights that should be
protected and any laws that threaten to change or affect these rights should be looked at very
closely. The First Amendment really sets the United States apart from the rest of the world and
that is why it is the most important.