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Pros And Cons Of The First Amendment

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1. Introduction The adoption of the Constitution depended on ratification, or approval, by 9 of the 13 states. In desperation, the Constitution’s supporters, the Federalists, looked to John Hancock, the governor of Massachusetts. In a dramatic speech, he urged the delegates to approve the Constitution as written. At the same time, he promised that the first task of the new Congress would be to amend the Constitution by adding a bill of rights. 2. Creating the Bill of Rights In the first presidential election, held in 1789, George Washington became the nation’s first president. John Adams of Massachusetts became vice president. Debate and Approval in Congress While Congress debated other issues, Madison sifted through nearly 100 proposed amendments. He chose those that seemed least controversial, or least likely to cause conflict, and presented them to Congress on June 8, 1789. Ratification by the States Under the Constitution, three-quarters of the states must ratify an amendment before it can become law. By 1791, the required number of states (nine) had approved the other ten amendments. Together, these ten amendments form the Bill of Rights. 3. First Amendment Rights James Madison combined five basic freedoms into the First Amendment. These are the freedoms of religion, speech, the press, and assembly and the right to petition the government. When a person believes that the government has violated these rights, he or she may challenge the government’s action in

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