Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

The first amendment, freedom of speech, is a contested idea based on its interpretation. There are two interpretations of the first amendment. The first of the two interpretations is that all speech is free to be said, without penalty or law impeding on a person’s beliefs (United States Constitution). The conservative movement pertains to those that mostly identify as current day Republicans. Generally Republicans support the first of the two interpretations of free speech. Republicans take a…

The ordinance was argued by the Jehovah’s Witnesses in argument that it violated their first amendment rights of free exercise of religion, freedom of press, and the right to free speech. In the ordinance established by the Stratton local legislature, it restricted “canvassers” from going door to door. Canvassers were political campaign works who…

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” While the right to privacy is not explicitly stated in the Constitution, the Supreme Court (“The Court”) in…

Philosopher G.K. Chesterton once said that “America is the only nation in the world that is founded on Creed. When he said this he was referencing the Declaration of independence which lays out our beliefs and goals for all to see. The founding of the United States was revolutionary, not purely because we replaced one ruler for another or because we over threw an oppressive institution but because we placed political authority in the hands of the people. Nearly every Nation that has been and…

protected by the U.S. Constitution? Should such statements be protected? In whose favor should the court rule? Why? The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech." The right to free speech is fundamental and is one of the personal rights and liberties that are protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. However, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute. The abuse of this right may be punishable by the State. The…

The United States Supreme Court announced their decision on June 19, 1961. The Supreme Court ruled six to three in favor of Mapp, the Court considered the search a violation of the Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. Chief Justice Warren and Justices Clark, Black, Douglas, Brennan and Stewart agreed the police abused their power against Mapp’s will. Moreover, the Supreme Court applied the exclusionary rule to the case, which means evidence obtained illegally can’t be used in court. The…

In 1791, James Madison proposed that the Bill of Rights be added to the Constitution. Included in those Bill of Rights was the freedom of religion. This country was built on the idea that people were allowed to be whomever they wanted to be. They were allowed to express their ideas and beliefs to other people. The United States government passed the amendments that separate the church and state, saying that Congress and states can not pass a law that establishes religion, restricting them from…

There were two principal antislavery movements in the United States before 1833. One centered in the North and the Chesapeake among free African Americans and white Abloished, and the other that existed in the South among slaves. These movements were fueled by evangelical Christianity and shared roots in the age of the revolution. The antislavery movements in the North offered a nonviolent way to end slavery, but in the South, abolitionists like Tuner, and Gabriel had to use violence to fight…

the state of New York authorized a short, voluntary prayer for the recitation at the start of each school day at New Hyde Park Schools, in which the students mentioned their dependence upon God. However students could be excused from reciting the prayer if necessary. Steven Engel, a parent of two children in the New Hyde Park Schools, argued that the law violated the establishment clause of the first amendment, as made applicable to the states through the due process clause of the fourteenth…

The chief reason speech is thought as an unrestricted and unlimited right is from the misunderstanding of the nature of the constitution, primarily the First Amendment. First, it must be recognized that there are no absolute rights. Though the amendment reads, “Congress [and state governments following the 1868 ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment] shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech”, the seemingly and often misinterpreted infinite nature of the freedom of speech clause is…