Know Your Rights

Know Your RightsThe United States prides itself on being a country with a high regard for freedom. The most basic of these freedoms are in the 1st amendment and the 14th amendment, the former of which is part of a larger collection of freedoms known as the Bill of Rights. The 1st amendment protects freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition. This forbids the government from interfering with people engaging in any of these practices.  What this means is that people cannot face legal consequences for practicing the wrong religion, speaking criticisms of others, printing criticisms of others, demonstrating peacefully against others, and allows them to petition the government for assistance or to right wrongs. This, however, does not protect against private websites removing someone’s comment, nor does it guarantee someone a platform through someone else’s website.

The other essential amendment, the 14th, says that anyone born on American soil is guaranteed all the rights and privileges given to everyone else, prevents individual states from denying those rights, and prevents people from having their rights taken without due process. Though it was passed after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment is where people can turn when they are denied rights that other Americans are given, which is why it is often referred to as “Equal protection under the law”.

If you feel that your rights under the 1st or 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution have been violated, or if you want information on the rest of the amendments, feel free to contact us.