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

The first amendment, proposed by Kelly Gonez, and approved unanimously, put back in $50 million — reducing next year’s cut in half, to $50 million.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2026

Mr. Keenan alleged the law, in addition to hurting the pension, was unconstitutional because it “violates the first amendment for compelling speech, viewpoint discrimination and content discrimination.”

From Washington Times • Nov. 21, 2023

“Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely,” she wrote.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2023

"Some of this is terrifying to US companies, who are used to operating in the shadow of the first amendment," says Mark Weston, partner and head of technology law at law firm Hill Dickinson.

From BBC • Aug. 10, 2023

The first amendment offered was to strike out "inhabitants" and insert "citizens of the United States," and thus avoid the embarrassments that might result from giving it so broad an extension.

From Twenty Years of Congress, Volume 2 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860 by Blaine, James Gillespie