Amendment1W2

\\First Amendment

=**1. What issues prompted the creation of the first amendment?**= =**2. What impact did the first amendment have on society at the time?**=

1. What made the people think they needed this right?
A: People thought they needed this right. This is because without it, religions were being persecuted and government could establish a national religion, which might not have allowed people to believe in their own religion. Also, protesters would have to be silent, which would not allow people to speak their minds. Finally, citizens could not mobilize for social change.

2. Was there religious discrimination? If there was, how did the amendment address the issue?
A: Yes, some religions were not accepted before the first amendment. This is because people were afraid of change and believed in a domestic religion instead of having religious tolerance.

3. What was the trial of John Peter Zenger?
A: John Peter Zenger was a German publisher. He published a journal called New York Weekly Journal. On his journal, he pointed out the actions of the royal governor, William S. Cosby. After this was seen, although he printed only a few copies, he was put in jail. At his jury, something very strange happened. Alexander Hamilton, one of the most famous lawyers in Pennsylvania, stood up for him and helped him get out of jail. Alexander and John were considered heroes, and this started the first amendment.

4. How did this trial shape part of the amendment?
A: This trial shaped part of the first amendment. This is because the judge had realized that what Alexander had said was right. This was no longer about the newspaper, but about liberty, and the freedom to share feelings and opinion over the newspaper or anywhere. That is how the trial started and shaped the first amendment.

5. What are the negative affects of this amendment? List three.
A: Some of the negative affects of this amendment included:
 * Since people have the right of speech, they can say anything they want in public, even hateful things.
 * Some people publish confidential and top secret things in newspapers, such as secret things that are happening in the government.
 * The First Amendment includes that you can hold meetings, but some people hold illegal meetings.

6. What are some of the positive affects of this amendment? List three.
A: Some of the positive affects of this amendment were:
 * People can now meet to make a change in the community or society. This means that they can meet for the good of society.
 * There is religious tolerance so anyone can believe in the religion they want.
 * People can publish what they want and they will not be thrown in jail for it.

7. What happened in Virginia during 1771?
A: During this time, 50 Baptists worshipers were jailed for preaching the Gospel. This showed that they were very unfair and did not allow people to express themselves.

8. What was a major effect of this amendment being passed?
One effect of this amendment being passed is that the people had more rights and could do more things, such as publishing newspapers and journals, and speaking out when they thought something was wrong. Another effect is that there was more violence. For example, since people had freedom of the press, they could publish almost anything meaning that they could publish hurtful things as well.

9. Which religions became popular after this amendment?
Many religions became popular after this amendment. One of these religions is Yiddish-speaking Jews that arrived from Eastern Europe around 1880. They came to New York City and many other major cities in the tri-state area. Also, Germans were settling in Pennsylvania and brought many different religions along with them during the mid 1800's and had many groups as well.

10. How did the freedom of religion create the "Separationists" ?
The freedom of religion created the Separationists. This is because Separationists believe that people should not mix church and state. They thought any type of religious building should not be paid for by the government. Some buildings include churches, catholic schools, cathedrals, temples, chapels, and more.

Research Question 1:
There were many issues that prompted the creation of the first amendment. One issue is people’s freedom. One example of this is the John Peter Zenger trial. He was writing a newspaper and was expressing his thoughts about the governor, and he was put in jail for doing that. This was very unfair and many thought he should not have been in jail. After a trial with the jury, he was deemed innocent and the jury and others started to rethink the rights of people as well. Another issue that prompted the creation was that there was religious discrimination. Many people were being persecuted because of their beliefs and what they practiced as a religion. This did not allow America to have social change and was not considered a free country. For example, in 1771, 50 Baptists were jailed for preaching the Gospel in Virginia. -AC

Research Question 2:
The first amendment gave people of the 18th century many rights and freedoms. For example, people have the right to religion. This means that people can believe in any religion they wanted. Before this amendment, people were told to follow a certain religion; now, we can believe in any religion we want. That's why we have so many religions worldwide today. Another impact that the first amendment had on society is the freedom of speech. Before this amendment, people could not speak freely in public. This made people happier because before, they could not protest about a cause that they did not like. Now, we can say almost anything we want, anywhere. Lastly, the freedom of the press opened up job for writers. Before the first amendment, you couldn't publish anything if you were a regular person. The Trial of John Peter Zenger changed that. Zenger had wrote harsh things about governor, William S. Cosby. He was thrown in jail for this. He didn't even have a trial! This is when we realized we needed this amendment. Now, we have the right to publish almost anything. As you can see, the first amendment had a major impact on society st the time.-KM

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Current Events: The first amendment has indirectly hurt a police officer. Jeffrey J. Heffernan, is a police detective in Patterson. He was demoted from his job because of a misunderstanding in a political activity. Mr. Heffernan picked up a sign that his mother asked him to while she was she engaged in promoting a politician. However because of his public service job he is not allowed to engage in political activities while wearing his uniform. Although when he picked up the sign he had no intention of supporting the mayoral candidate, a supervisor observed the activity and was concerned that the display of support would influence public opinion and therefore demoted him. Jeffrey tried to sue, but he lost the case. Many believed that his first amendment right had not been violated, since he didn't actually exercise it. Many say this act of kindness to his mother resulted in his getting demoted is heartless. However, it isn't unconstitutional. Ultimately, this conflict could have taken different approaches.

The first amendment is still relevant today. This case of Heffernan versus Paterson, is a prime example of this statement. The first amendment still protects everyone today. It allows people to voice their opinion without getting punished for their religious and political beliefs. Before this amendment was even created, many got hung or put in jail for stating their opinions. For example, Nathan Hale from the American Revolution was hung for what he believed in. Now, we have the ability to have a say in what happens in our own world without having to sacrifice our life for a certain right. Ultimately, the first amendment was a huge step towards the new and improved civilization. AC []

Donald Trump is going after the false statements the press uses to sell newspapers. He says that he is planning a lawsuit against the first amendment. Trump has told the social media numerous times that of they don't stop publishing false information, he will gain lots of money because of the preposterous and hateful attacks that have been released on social media and the news. Trump has proven he will sue whomever or whatever he wants over the years. Most of the time Trump loses the cases. He claims that mostly everything said about him in the papers is false. However, most lawyers believe Trump will not be able to take down this amendment, mainly because it has been in use for over fifty years. He wants to change the way the government should work. If he somehow manages to win this lawsuit, it will take a very important right away from most people.

Overall, the first amendment is still pertinent for our civilization. However since technology is evolving, we may need to rethink the amendment. Although it is crucial for people to have the freedom of speech, religion, and press, it should be done in a safer way that allows people to still express their views and opinions but also protects people from blatant attacks. Currently, many high profile people have been hurt by the way reporters can write negative narratives on purpose, and therefore in principle takes away their right to be safe or have a jury of their peers determine what is right and wrong. However, this was an original amendment, even when there were only ten of them, and is still a major component of our lives today. The first amendment inspired people to take a stand and not be terrified about consequences for their actions and we need to be very careful about diluting its value. In conclusion, this amendment changed the future. For civilizations to come, this right could make life easier or harder depending on the person's social ranking. AC

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Current Events [] This article is about Facebook being under attack for choosing trending stories and embracing the First Amendment for this. Facebook wants U.S. citizens-including the Federal Government to believe their "trending stories" have nothing to do with human judgement. Senator of South Dakota, John Thune, wrote a letter to Facebook the other day warning them about their level of subjectivity in their news stories and how he disapproves of them. Facebook does not want Congress to get involved with this situation but it might have to happen in order for Facebook and its users to get away. Although, Congress has no power in Facebook's decisions and the first amendment (freedom of speech) is on their side. Facebook's fear is to have the government treat it as a "public utility" rather than a high tech innovator. This is the same scenario that Microsoft had in 1988 with the Justice Department. Many people think that Facebook should embrace the protections of the first amendment and use it for their good but Facebook thinks other wise. As you can see, Facebook is having some trouble with this amendment and it has been causing them trouble.- KM

It has been proven that the first amendment is still vital in civilization today. In this case, it has been used in modern way through new technology that we have today. The first amendment relates to being involved today's society because Facebook is a very widely known social media but the first amendment is getting involved with it. Although it is people's right to have the freedom of speech, press, and religion, we should still be careful in how we use it. In this case, Facebook doesn't want to use the protections of the first amendment for their good and they are making a big mistake in doing this. Facebook does have the right of freedom of speech but since their trending stories are not approved by senators and since they do not want Congress to be involved with it, they should get in trouble and suffer consequences. However, the amendment does not have anything in it denying the protections of it, it should be a given that everyone would accept it. As you can see, the first amendment has a very big impact on today's society and will also have a big impact on the future; especially involving technology It can save us as well as harm us.- KM

[] This article is manly about how Columbia University wants to start a program to fight for freedom of expression in our high-tech digital era. Many court cases have occurred in which the first amendment was pushed and tested but new technologies. Columbia wants to start this program sooner than later because the technology will only get better. They also want to start this earlier because many students and other people can greatly benefit from this program. The article also states that big voices favor freedom of speech and it would likely lead to a "societal attitude" towards it. The program will also include research classes in how the freedom of expression should be protected. This program is mainly being made to protect the freedom of expression and ensure that technology will not greatly effect it. -KM

This is another example of how the first amendment is still an important part of our society today. It is getting involved in college courses and court cases and people are working on ways to strengthen it and ensure protection from it. This is proof of the amendment becoming involved with society today because it is being discussed with new technologies of the era. They are "editing" this amendment which was made a long time ago and getting it involved with the new technologies of this century and finding ways to put it to better use. More an more technology will eventually be invented so the colleges are just preparing for when the expression for the first amendment will really need attention. As you can see, the first amendment has a very big impact on today's society and will also have a big impact on the future; especially involving technology. It can save us as well as harm us.-KM