Dear First Amendment, Happy 234th Birthday!

​The Bill of Rights was ratified on this day in 1791 — with the very first of the 10 Amendments stating that Congress “shall make no law” restricting the freedom of speech, the exercise of religion, the press, the right to peaceably assemble, and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. 
 
These principles were later extended to government at all levels, protecting Americans’ right to criticize, protest, and register our views with the government.
 
James Madison initially opposed the idea of a Bill of Rights, worrying that rights not explicitly listed would be treated as non-existent by the government. His friend and mentor Thomas Jefferson wrote to him: “Half a loaf is better than no bread. If we cannot secure our rights, let us secure what we can.”
 
In the First Amendment, we secured a lot.
 
Our freedoms are best seen when we compare the vibrant, noisy, robust speech at home with that abroad. Around much of the world, writers, directors, dissidents, artists, journalists, and millions of ordinary people are silenced because there is no legal bar to keep their rulers from persecuting them for their speech. Consider the plight of Jimmy Lai, former publisher of Hong Kong's Apple Daily, found “guilty” by the regime and sentenced to a likely life sentence in prison for merely criticizing those in power.
 
Let us be grateful that James Madison, when he was a Member of the House, changed his mind, authored and sponsored the Bill of Rights. It has shaped our nation and protects us to this day. 
 
The First Amendment’s observance of eternal rights revitalizes America every day and has the power to reshape the world — from China, to Russia, to Cuba, to every society, for every human being.

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