Introduction
According to Stilt, the constitution of the United States contains numerous rights for both citizens and noncitizens or immigrants. Nevertheless, certain rights are only granted and legitimately apply to U.S. citizens as provided in the U.S. Constitution. These rights are put together in the Bill of Rights. They include the right to freedom of speech and expression, to participate freely in elections, free and uncensored media, a fair trial, and the right to worship religion in a free environment.
Discussion
The First Amendment or the first article outlines that each U.S. citizen has the right to speak freely, voice their viewpoint, and articulate their concerns without being restrained. However, in several instances, citizens are not protected under this right, like when they engage in fighting words, child pornography, and obscenity (Stilt). These three, among other scenarios, limit this right to freedom of speech. A gagged society cannot live harmoniously; speech is a fundamental aspect of the citizens of any country. Situations, where the right to freedom of speech and expression is not practiced are witnessed in other forms of governments like dictatorial and unconstitutional monarchies. Cases where the right to freedom of speech and expression is not practiced are seen in other forms of governments like authoritarian and unconstitutional monarchies.
The above right provides the basic foundation upon which the freedom of media is grounded. The citizens’ need for information must be satisfied through transparent and uncensored media. The Constitution must recognize media as the fourth estate, whose independence largely depends on the rights provided in the U.S. Bill of Rights. The functionality of democracy relies on how well citizens are informed, which curbs the chances of misinformation (Stilt). Expressing ourselves freely as individuals or news organizations would be unbearable since the government can hardly deliver its promises to citizens without criticism. Moreover, where media freedom is disregarded, the administration’s powers go unchecked; hence no one would dare to speak against the government.
The author of this article argues for the right to free participation in elections. The U.S. Constitution specifies voting eligibility because it’s the source of the law that governs the state. Under this provision, United States citizens above 18 years are entitled to vote. The state has to issue voter identity cards and oversee the elections (Stilt). In America, free and open elections depict how developed and mature our democracy is. The United States serves as a benchmark for many developing and third-world countries whose constitutions are under formation.
The summary of this article gazes at the citizen’s right to worship in a liberal setting. United States citizens enjoy the right to practice the religious practices of their choice. One can choose to subscribe to particular religious beliefs or not have any religion. No one is constitutionally compelled to conform to forcefully imposed beliefs. In protecting this right, it’s unlawful to teach religion in any learning institution (Stilt). One cannot claim that the other’s faith should not be practiced. In case of such, that person would be disobeying the law and committing a felony.
Conclusion
The relevance of this article to the class significantly comes out clearly in how it boldly tackles matters of citizen rights. The report has further targeted the laws of the American citizens as provided for in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Alongside the summary, I have offered detailed insights on the topic. The remaining question is whether there can be democracy in the United States without citizens’ rights being constitutional.
Work Cited
Stilt. “THESE Are the 5 Rights of a Citizen in the United States [2022].” Stilt Blog. Web.