Do You Know Your Rights? An AC Experiment on the First Amendment

Many students and even teachers in the United States cannot answer basic questions about the freedoms protected by the First Amendment in the United States Constitution. Even those who are knowledgeable about the First Amendment often cannot clearly articulate their personal views about the freedoms granted by the amendment. A political science professor at Park University once told me that the first right most Americans can identify with and feel most strongly about is the freedom of religion; however, the second right they claim as one of the most important rights is the right to travel. Coincidentally, the right to travel is not guaranteed anywhere within the Constitution, including the First Amendment.

The First Amendment reads as follows: "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 part of the First Amendment most open to interpretation and constantly under judicial review is the Establishment Clause, the first part of the First Amendment regarding an establishment or exercise of religion.