The First Amendment and Freedom to Assemble and Petition

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

When creating the Bill of Rights, the Founders believed meetings to discuss vital issues of the day were essential to a republican form of government. The right to peaceably assemble allowed people to gather, discuss ideas, and formulate their requests, and the right to petition allows these requests to be taken directly to elected officials.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses how the First Amendment allow the voices of everyday Americans to be heard, and why that still matters today.



Images courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery, Library of Congress, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, The New York Public Library, Wikipedia.

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Tom Hand
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