Amendments
Amendment I
Constitution of the United States
Official text
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.
Proposed by Congress September 25, 1789. Ratified December 15, 1791.
In plain English
Congress may not set up an official national church, and may not stop people from practicing their faith. It may not restrict speech or the press, the right to gather peacefully, or the right to petition the government to fix wrongs.
As ratified, the Amendment limited Congress; the Supreme Court later applied it to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. Several states still had official or tax-supported churches in 1791 (Massachusetts kept its system until 1833), which is why originalists read the Establishment Clause as barring a national church rather than banning religion from public life.
"The Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate."
- James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments (1785)
Plain-English summary drafted by Christian Vote USA; editor review pending. Always read the official text above.
Bills that cite this section
No published bill analyses cite this section yet.
Learn more
- The First Amendment: Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly and Petition (The Bill of Rights)
- Initiative, Referendum, Recall and Petitioning Your Officials (Your Rights and Duties in Colorado)
- Contacting and Petitioning Your Officials in Tennessee (Your Rights and Duties in Tennessee)
Constitutional analysis on this site is educational and is not legal advice.