How Has The First Amendment Changed

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The First Amendment, which is the Freedom of Speech, states “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech.” If given the freedom of speech, you have the right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint. Basically, the First Amendment means that Americans have the right to speak publically about anything they believe in. Without this Amendment, protesters could be restricted from speaking out against their non-beliefs. The idea of the First Amendment originated because the Founding Fathers wanted to make sure the Citizens of America wouldn’t be endangered by the government. Many colonists moved to America because they wanted more freedom. The Founding Fathers wanted to protect this freedom, especially of Religion. They created this Amendment because they wanted to make sure that Americans were legally able to speak out and petition when situations weren’t going their way.…show more content…
Under the British law, Freedom of Speech meant that you may print or speak what you wanted, but could also get into trouble for not following Britain’s specific laws. Americans wanted to have a more expanded right of speech. They wanted a right that would allow citizens to voice their opinions and, in return, the government is able to get feedback, negative or positive, from the public. All of the courts were in favor of protecting the freedom of speech, but they found that Britain was right in some ways. The right of speech isn’t simple. The history of the First Amendment could be described as an attempt to extend and secure free speech guarantees, but additionally define the limits of this right in a way that is the same as the equally convincing rights of the

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