The First Amendment

The First Amendment plays a crucial role in U.S. society, guaranteeing the rights of U.S. citizens and preserving democratic government. The framers of the Constitution believed that the right to express oneself without fear of government punishment was the foundation of effective citizen participation in, and control of, the government. Thomas Jefferson contended that the monitoring of public officials' activities by a free press kept government from becoming tyrannical. Other commentators followed Jefferson's line of thought, and some celebrated court cases in U.S. history have concerned the limits of free expression (Glisson, 34-41).

When the First Amendment was conceived, the ...