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Mar 15, 1215
King John writes Magna Carta
As noblemen revolt against King John of England, he recognizes the rights for BOTH noblemen and ordinary Englishmen. It states that NO ONE is above the law, not even the king or lawmaker. This document is known as the Magna Carta and was the framework for such documents as the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. -
Religious Freedom in Rhode Island
A new charter of Rhode Island granted religious freedom to those who did not have it. During this time, people came here from the Massachusetts to escape the Puritan's religious persecution. -
The Declaration of Independence is adopted
On July 4th, 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. -
Thomas Jefferson calls for religious freedom
Thomas Jefferson wrote a bill in 1777 in which he called for religious freedom, although the bill was enacted in 1786. It stated, "No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, palce or ministry whatsoever." This may have influenced James Madison while writing the American Bill of Rights. This later became the Virginia Ordinance for Religious Freedom -
The Constitution is Adopted
The Constitution of the United States was adopted on September 17, 1787. After being ratified by the states, in June of 1788, it became the 'law of the land'. -
The Bill of Rights is Ratified
The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15th, 1791 after being ratified. The First Amendment falls under this. -
The 14th Amendment is Ratified
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified. The amendment, in part, requires that no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” -
Patterson v. Colorado
In Patterson v. Colorado, its first free-press case, the U.S. Supreme Court determines it does not have jurisdiction to review the “contempt” conviction of U.S. senator and Denver newspaper publisher Thomas Patterson for articles and a cartoon that criticized the state supreme court. The Court writes that “what constitutes contempt, as well as the time during which it may be committed, is a matter of local law. -
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School Distric
The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District that Iowa public school officials violated the First Amendment rights of several students by suspending them for wearing black armbands to protest U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The Court determines that school officials may not censor student expression unless they can reasonably forecast that the expression will cause a substantial disruption of school activities. -
Board of Education v. Pico
The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Board of Education v. Pico that school officials may not remove books from school libraries because they disagree with the ideas contained in the books. The Court states that “the right to receive ideas is a necessary predicate to the recipient’s meaningful exercise of his own rights of speech, press, and political freedom,” and makes clear that “students too are beneficiaries of this principle.” -
Religious Guidelines in Schools
President Bill Clinton, in 1995, ordered the Department of Education to send guidelines on religious expression to every public school district in the United States. Religious activities that are PERMITTED include student prayer, student initiated discussion on religion, and reading the Bible or other scripture. Religious activities that are FORBIDDEN include teaching a particular religion instead of religions in general and teaching / encouraging religious or anti-religious activity. -
Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association
The United States Supreme Court rules that video games are a form of speech, and is therefore protected by the First Amendment. The court holds California's law restricting the sale or rental of violent video games to minors is unconstitutional.
