THE
alestle
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Thursday, April 11, 2024 Vol. 77 No. 25
THE student voice since 1960
THE
FIRST AMENDMENT ISSUE
“Congress shall m respecting an establish ake no law m or prohibit ing the free ent of religion, ex or abridgin g the free ercise thereof; do or of the press; or t m of speech, he right o people pea f ceably to a ssemble, an the petition th d e Governm ent for a re to of grievanc dress es.” CHL
OE WOLF E lifestyles editor
to cod if y th tively lackede rights they d istincto assemb , such as the abilit y le a nd pra These wo ct ic cho rds a re th dat ion of e foun- m sen religion w it hout e their A merica, ent interfer governbut why w they chose ence n? ere But the Fir . The A mer st A mendm as we k n ica ns w en our countr y’s laws d id ho decided gin to ow it today d id n’t b t do so on b en e ’t in decide terpreted th a at way olution, A wh im. Before the R to until 1919. m e The Sup lot of the erica ns d id not hav vreme Co e a job is rights that urt’s in the Bil w er e p resent ther to interpret laws, l of R ights e wasn’t a a nd A mendmen , the first case ts concerned . But they were m 10 the First A men involv ing d o w in the First it h the idea ls pre st til Schenck v. Un ment unsent wh ich it A m en d m en speech, pre established ed States, ss, assembly t — religion, were that there The lack o re f these rig a nd pet it ion. speech st rict ions on free hts was on the reason s A mer e of the pu if it posed a da nger to blic. W hen A m ica went to wa r. erica was u a re not a ll For example, you ish ru le, th owed to n d er Bri e the British y were not protected t- in a public sett in yell “fire” g if there is tion — th version of the Const by not one. e it Today the of rights, Magna Ca rta. Th is uF la w played a ro h ile st ill being ta ck ment is more imirst A mendxed, ever. H le in the up p ri owever, wh orta nt tha n sing. A fter the at ’s even mo w cr a u r, the fram cia l is u those who re nd ers a nd formed w rote the Const it — rights that the F ersta nd ing the uti ir our govern ment — se on ment actua lly grast A mendt out you. nts