The First Amendment is necessary for a good functioning Democratic Government We must learn more about our rights so that we can protect them We cherish our First Amendment rights and not take them for granted because without them there would be chaos The First Amendment of the United States along with nine other amendments to the Constitution of the United States making up the Bill of Rights was adopted on December 15 1791 The First Amendment protects our natural rights as Americans It states that 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 protects our rights to the freedom of speech religion press the right to peaceful protest and to petition the government Landmark Court cases have often taken up cases include the rights of citizens many times the First Amendment These landmark court cases range from protesting the U S involvement in wars in foreign countries the right to publish classified government documents and the burning of the U S flag One major landmark court case is the case of Tinker v Des Moines Independent Community School District In December 1965 a group of students in Des Moines decided to wear black armbands during the holiday season Aslo to practice fasting on December 16 and continue on New Year's Eve
