Your First Amendment Rights

The First Amendment guarantees that Americans can practice any religion they choose—or none at all. It also prevents the govern­ment from establishing an official religion.

Americans can publish factual information without fear of having it censored by the government. This isn’t the case in many other countries. In China, for example, the nation’s Communist govern­ment strictly controls the flow of information. It often shuts down websites to prevent people from reading articles that are critical of the government.

To petition means to make a formal request. Americans can exercise their right to petition the government by sending emails or letters to elected officials about problems they would like solved. Want your voice to be heard? Simply visit whitehouse.gov/contact to send a message to the president about an issue you care about.

The First Amendment guarantees your right to voice your opinions—even if they’re unpopular. But freedom of speech doesn’t protect just spoken words. It also protects how you express yourself in writing, artwork, and even through your hairstyle and clothes. Like all our rights, however, free speech has limits. In school, for example, you don’t have the right to disrupt your class or bully other students.

The right to assemble means that people can gather peacefully to express their beliefs. This can be as simple as joining a group, such as a political party. It also means that Americans have the right to gather to protest laws or the actions of organizations they don’t agree with.