The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America in the Bill of Rights gives people the freedom of speech. The Bill of Rights lists the first ten amendments. Since the Constitution is the law of the land, Americans enjoy the freedom of speech. This means they have the right to say what they want to say without the feat of being punished. People can even disagree with the government without being punished. In some countries in the Middle East, people don't have the freedom of speech. They cannot protest without getting into trouble.

The freedom of expression is the freedom from which all others stem. It is the most basic liberty, because it allows for discussion and opinion without persecution from the government. In America we often take for granted our freedom of expression. However, we must remember that the rights we enjoy are not universal, and in many other countries citizens are oppressed and unrepresented, afraid or unable to speak out against a corrupt government.

Personally, I believe the freedom to vote makes all American lives better. This allows Americans to have some type of input in the choices of the government and who runs it. Many citizens often complain that they do not like the government's decisions, but fail to realize that they chose the people in office; and if they did not vote, were given the opportunity to vote.

Being able to think and being able to speak your thoughts are two completely different things. No one can silence your mind, but they can silence your voice. A country absent of opinions and the freedom of speech is a country that lacks healthy and well-deserved change. Authoritarian governments often have laws that don't allow citizens to have these rights. These rights in America allow our citizens to have the right to think whatever they wish, form opinions based on these thoughts, and say them aloud without being punished.

The freedoms granted in the Bill of Rights have become essential pillars of modern society. Without free speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion, social change would have been nearly nonexistent. Civil rights, women's suffrage, and even the American Revolution were products of action made by a passionate minority. The difference between these changes, however, was violence. It took a bloody, eight-year war to gain independence from the British. Women's suffrage and civil rights were decades long, semi-violent movements.

Constitutional freedoms make our lives better because they give us the freedom to express ourselves in many ways. Freedom of Speech is one constitutional freedom that protects our right to say what we want without fear of punishment. We can write and print newspapers expressing a point of view. We can also meet in large groups to talk. Having the freedom of speech in America makes life easier. We can express our thoughts and ideas openly. We can believe in God without being told not to. Having the Constitutional Freedom to speech makes me happy knowing I live in America.