The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech, Religion, and the Press (Constitution (Springfield, Union County, N.J.).)

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Summary: Helping kids understand the clauses of the First Amendment
Review: "The First Amendment" covers the freedoms of speech, religion, and assembly and petition, as well as the right to a free press. In this informative volume Leah Farish explains the history of the First Amendment, covering the landmark Supreme Court decisions and tracing how these rights have been interpreted over the years. Farish, a practicing civil rights attorney as well as a former high school teacher, also underscores the principle that the rights of individuals are balanced against the rights of society in general in determining the extent of each freedom. What teachers and students will find is a solid introduction to this diverse topic, which should provide all readers with an appreciation for the importance of Supreme Court decisions. Given that the appointment of Supreme Court justices should become a political maelstrom in the second Bush administration, this background will be helpful in understanding the hostile debate to come.

Farish begins with the reasons why the Founding Fathers came up with the First Amendment and the myriad issues today that it touches. She then explores five specific clauses in the First Amendment: (1) Free Speech is established as a right rather than a privilege, and then Farish covers the specific examples of free speech represented by protected protest, obscenity, politics, advertising, loud music, the arts, symbolic speech, and the right to know. She also makes it clear that freedom of speech is entwined with the other freedoms protected by the First Amendment (e.g., the idea of forums for speech becomes importance in understanding the establishment of religion clause). (2) The look at Freedom of the Press begins with a brief history of the press that explains how the United States Post Office often figured in early freedom of the press disputes. The key issues here have to do with national security, defamation, obscenity, student newspapers, and the right to find out. Farish also touches on the issue of getting access to local television or radio stations in terms of broadcasting regulations.

The freedom of religion part of the First Amendment is treated in two chapters. (3) The first focuses on the Establishment of Religion clause that enjoins Congress from making any laws "respecting an establishment of religion." This chapter details the rationale of the Founding Fathers behind the clause and Supreme Court rulings in the past half-century dealing with the separation of church and state. (4) The second chapter covers the Free Exercise of Religion, which covers the accommodation of religious beliefs in the public schools and in the workplace. Again, the focus is on Supreme Court cases that have balanced the rights of religious expression with the secular demands of the state. Farish also talks about ways of strengthening this right, as with the proposed Religious Equality Amendment.

(5) In contrast the Freedom of Assembly and Petition clause seems rather insignificant, but Farish explains how the freedom to associate, as well as the freedom not to associate, apply to young students. However, the idea of petitioning for redress is briefly touched upon because they are a rather insignificant part of the way government functions today. The volume's final chapter has a brief look at the recent debate over the First Amendment on issues such as sexual harassment in the workplace, abortion protesters and "floating bubble zones," and hate speech. Farish provides a series of Questions for Discussion, and the Constitution of the United States, although the Bill of Rights and the other 17 Amendments are just listed rather than written out. The back of the book has Chapter Notes, a Glossary of terms from "abridge" to "sedition," Further Reading for both younger students and older students, and an index.

"The First Amendment" is one of several volumes in the Constitution series from Enslow Publishers, Inc., which cover select amendments. You will also find volumes devoted to "The Second Amendment: The Right to Own Guns," "The Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure," "The Fifth Amendment: The Right to Remain Silent," "The Thirteenth Amendment: Ending Slavery," "The Fifteenth Amendment: Africa-American Men's Right to Vote," "The Eighteenth and Twenty-First Amendments: Alcohol--Prohibition and Repeal," and "The Nineteenth Amendment: Women's Right to Vote." Teacher can point out to students that there is not a volume devoted to the Twenty-Sixth Amendment and see if any of them find out what that would matter to them.