The First Amendment

When the Constitution was written in 1787, some Americans feared that the new form of government that it created was too powerful. Many citizens wanted the Constitution to include a Bill of Rights, spelling out the rights of citizens and restricting the powers of government. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, written by James Madison in 1789 and ratified two years later, are known as the Bill of Rights.

The First Amendment guarantees the freedoms that are most cherished by Americans, including freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Here is the text of the First Amendment:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition their Government for a redress of grievances."

James Madison and the other Framers believed that citizens' freedom of conscience, their ability to determine matters of faith and opinion for themselves, was essential to liberty. They knew well that disputes over religion had led to political intolerance and even bloodshed in European history over the past three centuries, and sought to avoid a similar fate in the new United States. So, the First Amendment prohibits the government from supporting a religion (an established religion is one officially supported or approved by government), or, many believe, even supporting religion generally.