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Thomas Jefferson Completes a Bill for Religious Freedom
Thomas Jefferson completes a state bill in Virginia that allowed Religious freedom for the state. This later became known as the famous Virginia Ordinance for Religious Freedom. This relates to the first amendment giving us religious freedom. -
Gag Rules
The U.S. House of Representatives created the gag rules to prevent discussions of antislavery. They later repealed the rule in 1844. This relates to the first amendment by showing how we have freedom of speak. -
Lincoln's Order
President Lincoln sent a order to arrest the editors of the New York Journal of Commerce and New York World who had forged presidential order. Lincoln then withdrew the order to arrest them and they resumed publication. This relates to the first amendment showing freedom of press. -
Sedition Act
Congress passed an act that prevented people from criticism, whether spoken or printed, about the U.S. government, the Constitution, or the flag. This goes against the first amendment because it prevents freedom of speak. -
Congress Repeals Sedition Acts
Congress went back and repealed the Sedition Acts, thus restoring the promise of the First Amendment of freedom of speak. -
"Scopes Monkey Trail"
A school teacher named John Thomas Scopes was found guilty of breaking a Tennessee law that stated that the teaching of the theory of evolution is strictly prohibited. This opened the door for the court to put a loop hole on the first amendment, saying that the freedom of speak clause also applies to the due-process clause stated by the Fourteenth Amendment. -
H.L. Mencken Arrested
In 1926, Mencken was arrested for giving out copies of America Mercury, which is a prohibited in the US. Censorship groups in Boston said that they were breaking the first amendment by not allowing the freedom of speak and press. -
Roosevelt Pardons
President Roosevelt pardons those who were convicted by the Espionage and Sedition Acts which didn't allow people to talk against the United States. -
Life Magazine Banned
Life magazine was banned by the U.S. for putting pictures from a film "The Birth of a Baby" in in the magazine. This went against the first amendment by prohibiting freedom of press. -
Office of Censorship
Congress gave the President permission to create a Office of Censorship to protect the country. This is when the government would start making more loop holes to go around the first amendment to protect themselves. -
Flag Protection Act
Congress passed the Flag Protection Act that would punish anyone who "knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon any U.S. flag". -
U.S. Supreme Court Goes Over Congress' Head
U.S. v. Eichman helped the U.S. supreme court see that the Flag Protection Act violates the freedom of speech part of the first amendment and they invalidated it.
