Since before I can remember, diverse people have come to America for something more “free” than before. Freedom of Religion made America an outlet of liberty. People everywhere wanted a place to practice what they pleased. Simply being able to practice your own religion is just as important as it was for women and blacks to get equal rights. Even Thomas Jefferson pushed hard for language in the Bill of Rights that separated church and state. No one liked the idea that you were forced to do what others believed. That is exactly why the Pilgrims could not stay in England and they moved here!

The first amendment gives us freedom of speech, press, religion and most importantly, freedom of assembly. This brings us to the recent shooting of a black eighteen-year old, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri by a white police officer. Many people, taking advantage of the freedom to assemble, have protested because they believe that the officer shot Michael Brown because of his race. The first amendment gives them a right to protest peacefully without fear of harm. This freedom is important to all American people and myself.

On August 29, 2013, New York fast food workers went on strike to protest low wages at McDonalds, Taco Bell and other chains. Thousands of workers from across the country went on strike to boost their salaries from $7.25 an hour to $15.00 an hour. The workers also wanted union protection. The employees also said paying bills is tough for them.

Immigrants have come to America because of the liberties it offers. Like those immigrants, my parents came to America because they knew that they would lead better lives. My mother lived under the dictatorship of Franco in Spain as a child. As a socialistic society, the government controlled everything. She recalled that when she went to the movies, they would black out certain words and ideas that were considered “wrong”. As a child, she had a very innocent view of the world, she did not know the significance that the blacked out words had.

The right to vote is a fundamental right enjoyed by all citizens of the United States of America who are eighteen or older. This right was not granted to women originally by the United States Constitution. When the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed in 1919, it granted women the same right to vote that men enjoyed.