"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
                                                                  

The First Amendment provides many of the rights Americans hold most dear: freedom of religion, speech, the press, petition, and assembly. These freedoms form the basis of political and civic participation in American society. 

The Five Freedoms Series will help Americans better understand the freedoms guaranteed to them under the First Amendment, and encourage them to exercise these rights. Each week will focus on a different element of The 1st Amendment: speech, religion, press, assembly, and the right to petition the government. Scholars or practitioners will provide background and take audience questions, allowing for a great deal of interactivity and encouraging participants to drive the conversation. Because many of these freedoms are frequently at the heart of Supreme Court cases, the sixth week will allow us to bring together a panel of federal judges to discuss cases on the docket in the 2021-2022 Supreme Court Term. 

This series is proudly hosted by James Madison's Montpelier, The Center for Civic Education, and the First Amendment Museum.

Educator participants are eligible to receive documentation of contact hours for professional development purposes. 

Recorded Tuesday, September 21 @ 7:00PM
The more freely a society can express itself, the more knowledge it gains and the more creative it can be. Benefits to be gained by free speech can be both political and non-political.  Core political speech is one of the most protected types of speech.  Benefits of non-political speech include the advancement of knowledge and the arts.  Over time, the meaning of “speech” has been broadened to include many other forms of nonverbal expression. Learn more about Roosevelt Montás.

Recorded Tuesday, September 28 @ 7:00PM Eastern Time
The first two clauses in the First Amendment prohibit Congress from making laws regarding the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise of religion. These two important concepts are related, but distinct.  Sometimes, they can even conflict with one another.  Debates about precisely what they mean have been going on for 200+ years and continue to this day. Learn more about Vincent Phillip Munoz.

Recorded: Tuesday, October 5 @ 7:00PM Eastern Time
It is no accident that James Madison’s initial wording of the Amendment specified that the right to a free press “shall be inviolable” because it is “one of the great bulwarks of liberty.” Indeed, the press has been called the “Fourth Estate,” or the fourth branch of government, providing a different kind of check on the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Learn more about Gene Policinski.

Recorded: Tuesday, October 12 @ 7:00PM Eastern Time
How does the right to assemble work in modern-day American society? The original right to assemble for political purposes has expanded into a broad category of “expressive association.” The Supreme Court has emphasized the importance of the right to assemble, but it has approved certain restrictions. The justices have struggled with how to balance the right to assemble against other rights and the needs of the public. 

A Columbia University graduate, Chelsea Miller is a 24 year old Brooklyn native and one of the leading voices in youth activism. Chelsea is the Co-Founder of Freedom March NYC, a youth protest and policy group on the frontlines pushing for reform across the nation. She’s addressed thousands of people in speaking engagements that include Madison Square Garden, Yale University, and most recently the March on Washington. Her work has been featured in New York Mag, Forbes, Vogue, CNN, and BET. In 2016, she worked in the Obama White House as one of the youngest interns on criminal justice reform and urban economic opportunity. 

She is the Co-Founder & CEO of Women Everywhere Believe, Inc., a national organization training women and girls of color to be civic and corporate leaders. Her work has been recognized by elected officials and national organizations alike in the space of activism and social entrepreneurship. Chelsea was recently named by the City & State of New York as one of the 50 Most Powerful People in Brooklyn, recognized by Vogue Magazine as one of the 50 trailblazing activist from across the globe, Financial Times named her as one of the leading Women of 2020, and Columbia University recognized her as one of 8 Columbians you should know. Most recently, Chelsea launched a campaign in partnership with Versace focused on women’s leadership and was featured in BET’s docuseries Boiling Point drawing the connection between the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the current youth led movement today.

Recorded: Tuesday, October 19 @ 7:00PM Eastern Time
From the beginning, Americans have felt free to ask the government for action on issues that were important to them. The manner in which we bring those concerns to our elected officials has changed dramatically over time. How do Americans petition the government in the digital age?

Molly Dorozenski has a BA in English from Yale University and an MFA in Creative Writing from UMASS Amherst.  She works as a Managing Director of North America and Australia at Change.org, where she supports people who start petitions to make change happen.  Some successful campaigns include a campaign for Justice for George Floyd, that broke records with 20 million signatures, a campaign that persuaded TripAdvisor to make sure travelers could see reports of sexual assault on their site, and a campaign that prevented the execution of Rodney Reed. She previously worked at Greenpeace in a variety of communications and campaigning roles, including Communications Director and Democracy Campaign Director. She lives in Brooklyn.

Recorded: Tuesday, October 26 @ 7:00PM Eastern Time
The Supreme Court will return October 4th for its 2021-2022 Term, and the justices will be hearing 33 cases on a number of important issues. First Amendment issues are often at the heart of Supreme Court cases. During this term, the justices will be hearing cases on religious freedom (Carson v. Makin) and free speech (Houston Community College System v. Wilson). Join Christopher Riano of the Center for Civic Education as he hosts a discussion with guests Senior Judge Marcia S. Krieger (bio) and Chief Judge Brooks Smith (bio).