First Amendment

American  

noun

1. an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights, prohibiting Congress from interfering with freedom of religion, speech, assembly, or petition.

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First Amendment ¹ Cultural  

1. The first article of the Bill of Rights. It forbids Congress from tampering with the freedoms of religion, speech, assembly, and the press.

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First Amendment ² Cultural  

1. An amendment to the United States Constitution guaranteeing the rights of free expression and action that are fundamental to democratic government. These rights include freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. The government is empowered, however, to restrict these freedoms if expression threatens to be destructive. Argument over the extent of First Amendment freedoms has often reached the Supreme Court. (See clear and present danger, libel, and obscenity.)

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Usage

What is the First Amendment? The First Amendment is an amendment to the US Constitution that forbids Congress from making any law that discriminates against any religion or that restricts freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assemble, or the right to protest. The Constitution of the United States is the document that serves as the  fundamental law of the country. An amendment is a change to something. An amendment to the Constitution is any text added to the original document since its ratification in 1788. The Constitution has been amended 27 times in American history. The entire text of the First Amendment reads:“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.”The First Amendment has one detail that many Americans get wrong or misunderstand. This amendment only protects your freedom of speech from being restricted by the government or an organization funded by the government. Private businesses, such as Twitter, Wal-Mart, and the Walt Disney Company, can and often do restrict your speech or expression if they believe it could harm their business.

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The First Amendment begins the Bill of Rights.

Example Sentences

Someone on X, mourning the alleged demise of a TV show started in 1968, 177 years after the ratification of the First Amendment, described it as “the historical leader of the free press.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

“Under the First Amendment, any private citizen is, of course, generally free to express their opinions,” the lawyers wrote, but “members of the judiciary are held to a higher standard.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

What will change is that Americans will no longer be coerced into sacrificing their First Amendment rights.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

“We are confident that record demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees under the Communications Act and the First Amendment and are prepared to show that through the appropriate legal channels,” the company said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Picking his way over to the bulletin board, Mr. Larson tapped the Bill of Rights poster and then rested the pointer on the First Amendment.

From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements