Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom if 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 states our indivual rights. We are allowed to have our own religion and practice it freely, speak and write freely, assemble peacefully (not causing harm to anyone), and to petition grievances. The religion aspect enforces separation of church and state. This prevents the government from interfering in religious practices, which is a key idea of individualistic values a democracy is based off of. The ablility to speak and write freely allows the people to express grievances without being supressed under the government. Some extreme cases are limited, but for the most part we are free to say and write what we want. The grievances aspect allows people to ask the government to address litigation wrongdoings. It also allows people to ask the government to change laws and pass new ones.
Each of these rights keeps democratic and individualistic values present and true. Without these basic rights, our government would have too much power, which would lead to tensions between the people and the government. Although the other amendments provide even more individual rights, the first amendment declares the people free from oppression of the government.
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