Today we continue our series on the Bill of Rights by looking at the first two amendments and how they apply to our liberties. The First Amendment states: “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.”

Why is the First Amendment so important? Most would answer that the First Amendment is important to the maintenance of a democratic government. Freedom of speech and press allows citizens to communicate their ideas unimpeded, while freedom of assembly allows us to publicly express a common interest. The right to petition allows citizens to point out to the government where it did not follow the law, to seek changes, as well as damages for such missteps. More importantly, the framers wanted to ensure that federal government would not interfere in the practice of our religion.

Were it not for the 1st Amendment our personal opinions and expressions of them would be regulated and controlled by politicians, and our freedom to assemble and address grievances squashed by heavy-handed government agents on a whim. It is believed that of the 165 countries tracked, only five counties have a high degree of freedom of speech. One is the United States. Despite widespread acknowledgment of free speech among the other countries, many still impose restrictions, some which are severe, with a few heavily censoring and controlling information. The First Amendment is a crucial building block to a free and open society, and a great legacy left to us by our founders.

The Second Amendment to our Constitution reads: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” The Founding Fathers saw standing armies as a menace to liberty and regarded the militia as the ultimate safeguard against governmental tyranny.

What is a militia? The militia had a distinct meaning in 1789. Consider the following from Pennsylvania delegate Tench Coxe: “Who are the militia? Are they not ourselves. Is it feared, then, that we shall turn our arms each man against his own bosom. Congress has no power to disarm the militia. Their swords, and every other terrible implement of the soldier, are the birthright of an American.” The Founders regarded self-defense as a natural right, drawing from William Blackstone’s Commentaries. Historically, the proponents of classical republicanism would argue the importance of an armed citizenry to individual liberty.

Without the Second Amendment we would not have the right of personal protection. Nor would we have the level of deterrence we currently have against invasion. Most other nations worry about their military fighting the other nations military in a war; our conventional enemies in history have had to reconsider upon realizing the civilian populace has enough arms to cause an immeasurable strain on resources to deal with on top of going against the U.S. military.

So, we see the great gift left to us by the founders in the First and Second Amendments.

Pr. Ray Ballmann
Glen Rose, Texas