1st Amendment Discovered Once Again

We discovered the First Amendment, today, as if it were for the very  first time. Ken Paulson, president and CEO of the First Amendment Center used more than forty-five words that we require our students to memorize, but they were worth it.

After giving us a quick quiz on the historical nature and use of the five freedoms he bore in on the phenomenon of fear and its impact on the American memory of the nation's foundations.

During the so-called "Red Scare" decades of the 50's and 60's, Paulson showed how perceived needs for social stability and security often overrode the rights of assembly and petition for the redress of grievances.

Even the Supreme Court absent-mindedly ruled in favor of disregarding the freedom of speech when Jehovah Witnesses refused to participate in the school-mandated Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. It took two years of struggle and protest by the members of that faith tradition, before the Court heard similar case that allowed the Justices to "revisit" their earlier decision. They ruled that students have rights, including the right not to pledge allegiance to the flag.

We discovered the significance of the First Amendment for our present time by learning of its significance in the past. I had forgotten that one of the reasons that the Constitution almost failed to pass the Continental Congress was because of the lack of a guarantee of what we now would consider to be basic rights and freedoms. With the inclusion of the Bill of Rights, the members of the Congress passed the Constitution.

Paulson's observation of this action underscores the continuing profound impact of these Constitutional Amendments today and the necessity of their constant rediscovery: "In exchange for the power of government, we demanded the power of the people."

Periodic public surveys often show the lack of support for the guarantees contained in the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments. Public fears over such issues as the economy, immigration, and war contribute to this diminished support.  Lessons learned in journalism classes help rekindle the collective memory by creating a class of reporters who are dedicated to replacing public fear with critical understanding of the events of the day.

E pluribus unum continues to be more than a Latin phrase, and the forty five words of the 1st Amendment articulate the self-awareness of an American people who have the opportunity to rediscover themselves each day with the reading of the morning news.


Larry Wayman
W. R. Farrington High School
Honolulu, Hi.