Amendment 1

Amendment I:

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.

The first amendment to the constitution establishes the peoples' rights in America.  It withholds power from the government, and instead places it in the hands of the people. This amendment allows our citizens to have freedom of religion, speech, and peaceful assembly - all of which were not available to citizens of England at the time.  It is a major contributor to the diversity of our country, as it allows for nearly every religion to be practiced, and for our beliefs and opinions to be openly discussed and debated.  Overall, this amendment is what set our country apart from so many monarchical governments beforehand.

Media 1:

Jimmy Kimmel humorously demonstrated on his show that the rights granted in the first amendment is not necessarily "common knowledge" to most Americans.  As a country, we often take our rights for granted and do not appreciate the small act of being able to freely "like" a post on Facebook, and know that it is safely covered in the constitution.  

Media 2:

This political cartoon emphasizes each American's protections under the first amendment.  It treats our rights as a celebration, or something we should be grateful for.