First Amendment
The First Amendment grants and protects six giving rights for us Americans, and the government can never take them away, or else it will be unconstitutional. The First Amendment is extremely important throughout our history and in today's society, as any law is but these were the first things that James Madison set up for citizens of this country to have. The six rights listed are equivalent to natural rights, or rights any human being is born with. These rights were added first to protect us from the power of the government. It grants us the freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition, and the freedom of and from religion. These are all extremely important, but for me right now I believe freedom of speech is the one we citizens need to exercise more. These rights were included to protect us. It is our job as citizens to make sure the government is not abusing its power.
In recent years censorship has been a recurring event happening. Where people have opposing viewpoints to popular belief, social media platforms silence their voices, preventing them from reaching an audience. As a communication major that is frightening that they can do that, but they are not under the 1st amendment at all. It only applies to the government, or events they are involved in. While doing research I came across Casey Harper, D.C. Bureau Reporter, who has an article reporting an investigation initiated in congress. "News of this effort from federal law enforcement sparked national controversy for details of the Biden administration’s persistent pressure on tech companies like Facebook to delete content it finds inappropriate" (Harper). If this comes out to be true this will be violating our rights. American citizens have been given these rights since the Bill of Rights was first ratified. James Madison and other collaborators for the First Amendment included freedom of speech because they knew what the government was capable of. This makes the other ones important as well. While cases are coming out right now explaining that the government is involved in censorship it is our job to use the other clauses to speak out against it. Bringing me to the "Market Place of Ideas", which briefly explains that the truth will always win, and become stronger when it has to compete with false accusations. Proving, why these rights are important for us to practice.
The Eight Values of Expressing briefly describe why it is extremely important for us citizens to be able to express ourselves to the government, so they do not abuse its power. The one that resonates with me most is "Individual Self-Fulfillment". As a communication major, I have to know how to communicate effectively and be creative with how I do it. I can't be creative I state the same thing everyone else is saying. Everyone has to be unique, which differs us from other societies across the world, and leads into another clause. "Promote Innovation" states that society will thrive when our First Amendment rights are protected. That is personal to me because in a competitive society we have to thrive to remain at the top. It forces everyone to be different when they are not being controlled by one person's beliefs. It gives us a chance to take criticism and build from it.
The most important of those values is "Check on Governmental Power". We have to be wise and observe the government. We have horizontal checks and balances where the different branches keep watch, and make sure the other branch is not abusing their power. However, we also have vertical checks and balances. This includes the individual, state government, and federal government all watching each other. Citizens need to remain knowledgeable and use the rights they were given to inform others. Freedom of the press grants us the right to speak out against the government. This is important right now especially with the cases, explaining censorship acts including the government.
"Participation in Self-Government" is the one I see in action the most today. When elections come around
I see people use their rights to inform everyone to go vote if they can. Of course, they are biased at times, but it is good that we do inform each other to practice our civil duties. If we don't vote then we cannot change the problems that develop over time when our leaders do abuse their power. This is another way to prevent this from happening.
In conclusion, our First Amendment rights go hand-in-hand with those values of expression. They all explain how we need to practice our rights to thrive as a society, and not fall victim to the government's power.
Sources:
https://www.thecentersquare.com/national/probe-launched-into-homeland-security-s-taxpayer-funded-censorship-campaign/article_452fb226-5b7c-11ed-9dbc-dbede093842c.html
https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/our-government/the-constitution/#:~:text=The%20First%20Amendment%20provides%20that,for%20a%20redress%20of%20grievances.
https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/james-madison-and-the-bill-of-rights?gclid=CjwKCAjw8JKbBhBYEiwAs3sxNyfqi71hBlH0nPJTVG-eTtwLp5qcbrLj-0SBah7dsEniXXMMooWSxRoCUGYQAvD_BwE
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