When founding father James Madison, known as the “Father of the Constitution,” introduced the Bill of Rights in the summer of 1798 at the first United States Congress, he did so with a purpose. An adamant proponent of civil liberties, he envisioned his proposed Bill of Rights would prevent government overreach and abuse by enshrining its citizens with foundational, inalienable rights.
At the top of the list? The First Amendment. Ubiquitous by nature, it’s the most well-known amendment and widely considered to be the most important. The First Amendment protects five fundamental freedoms from government infringement — freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble and freedom to petition. No matter who you are, the First Amendment guarantees you have the right to freely express yourself.
Amid the backdrop of a slow but steady decline of American democracy, these ideals have become more important than ever. According to The Century Foundation, a left-of-center think tank, U.S. democracy slid by 28% from a rating of 79/100 to a rating of 57/100 from 2024-2025. The report attributed the fall to an increase in authoritarian tactics ranging from government officials violating civil rights and disavowing court rulings.
But as threats to the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press and the freedom to assemble increase, it becomes imperative to continue exercising these rights. Why? Because not only do they protect us from government abuse, but they also serve as a means for the governed to express themselves to the government.
Yet more often than not, Americans take their rights for granted. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expressions found in 2023 that nearly 33% of all Americans could not name a single right protected by the First Amendment, with an additional 40% only able to name one.
Regardless of where you lie on the political spectrum and who you are, exercising your First Amendment rights shouldn’t be taken for granted. It should be treated for what it is: the foundation for individual freedom and societal change. In a country like the United States, opportunities to practice these rights abound.
More than a month ago, I watched as hundreds of students participated in a school walkout to protest the aggressive measures taken by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents, exercising their rights and advocating for change. Still, many students chose not to participate — not necessarily because they didn’t agree with the cause — but because they viewed these smaller actions as ineffective.
To be fair, this argument makes sense. After all, what does protesting ICE for an afternoon in a small-ish, suburban, progressive town in one of the bluest states in the country really accomplish? It can seem that at the end of the day, the world moves on, no matter what we do.
But what this argument overlooks is that movements for change are never built on singular, monumental moments, but instead persistent and determined action. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” didn’t end racism and segregation in the United States. Rather, it represented the culmination of the broader civil rights movement — a sustained, collective struggle for equality and protection that lasted over a decade.
I highly doubt anyone reading this is 100% satisfied with the current state of the world. And that is why exercising our First Amendment rights is so paramount. By ensuring that we can freely express our beliefs, share our perspectives and advocate for what we think is right, the First Amendment serves as the first stepping stone in the gradual process for change. Even though it may be easier to stay complacent and passive, I encourage people from all walks of life to take that first step — to find their voice and stand up for an issue they believe in.
