Rights & liberties
First Amendment
Protects religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition against government interference. It restrains government, not private companies or employers.
In full
Five freedoms in forty-five words. The amendment limits government action, so a private platform removing a post, or a private employer disciplining an employee, is generally not a First Amendment question. Its protections apply to state and local government through the Fourteenth Amendment, and they are strong but not unlimited.
Where to go next
Keep going
Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.