Thanks to freedom of assembly, Americans can express themselves through events such as parades, marches, and protests. It has allowed for assemblies for important movements such as abolitionism, women’s suffrage, and civil rights. The absence of freedom of assembly contributed to the colonists’ lack of representation in their national government in Britain.įreedom of assembly has played a major role in the democratic process of the United States. As a result, the American colonists were unable to legally assemble to express complaints about British laws and taxes that they thought were unfair. The British monarchy outlawed public assemblies out of fear that British citizens or colonists would rally together to try to overthrow the government. The Founding Fathers considered freedom of assembly an important right. According to the amendment, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble.” In the United States, the right to freedom of assembly is established in the First Amendment of the Constitution, ratified in 1791. In practice, this means organizers of large protests or parades often need to get a permit from the police department or city hall before they can legally hold a large gathering on public property. For example, protests that interfere with traffic are not protected.įinally, the Supreme Court has ruled that the government can restrict assemblies to certain times and places as long as it has a good reason for doing so and it isn’t discriminating against certain groups. Additionally, gatherings that involve illegal activities and disrupt law and order are not allowed. Violent gatherings are illegal, meaning that riots, street fights, and insurrections are not protected by freedom of assembly. The biggest one is that only peaceful gatherings are allowed. Freedom of assembly means that the government cannot completely ban or restrict these events.įreedom of assembly does have limits, though. However, freedom of assembly also applies to other types of gatherings, like religious services, pride parades, and candlelight vigils. We commonly think of freedom of assembly as protecting our right to protest peacefully against the government or to work as a group to achieve political goals ( collective activism). The First Amendment explicitly protects freedom of assembly only against the federal government, but the Supreme Court has also ruled that freedom of assembly is protected against state governments according to the Fourteenth Amendment. Public places include city parks, government property that is open to the public, or sidewalks. In general, freedom of assembly means that the government cannot prevent citizens from peacefully gathering or meeting in a public place. Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association at all levels, in particular in political, trade union and civic matters. In the United States, freedom of assembly is guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States through the First Amendment. Freedom of assembly is the right to hold public meetings or gatherings without the government interfering.Īn assembly is a gathering of people for some purpose.
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