The Virginia Documents and the Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights is comprised of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The amendments grant Americans a number of personal rights, while limiting the government’s power. In this Warm-Up activity, you will analyze Amendment I of the Bill of Rights. Begin by reading the Amendment below:

Amendment I

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 the Government for a redress of grievances.

Based on your understandings of Amendment I, compose a four to five sentence paragraph that discusses the importance of this addition to the Constitution. Explain what life would be like without this addition to the Constitution, and why it was necessary to add this amendment to the Constitution. If you need assistance on writing a journal entry, please visit the Developmental Module for more information.