Argumentative Essay On The First Amendment

Words: 568
Pages: 3

The First Amendment is one of the most important and controversial amendments in the Constitution. The First Amendment is the amendment that guarantees your rights and protection of free speech, assembly, press, and religion. These rights are very important to the American people because without them we would have no freedom. Muhammad Ali, one of the world’s greatest boxing champions, was one day stripped of his 1st Amendment freedoms. During the time of the Vietnam War the United States armed forces called for a draft. The draft selected people from all around the U.S., even athletes. One of the athletes selected for the draft was a boxer from Louisville that goes by the name of Muhammad Ali. Ali went to take his army physical for the draft …show more content…
Ali and his lawyers did fight against the case claiming First Amendment rights of freedom of religion. “But now that I’m the champion, I am the king, so it seems the world is all shook up about what I believe…The real name is Islam. That means peace,” said Ali. Muhammad claimed that this violence was against his religious beliefs of Islam. It is clear that Muhammad’s religious beliefs are being brought into question. His lawyers tried to appeal his case through the federal courts in order to get to the Supreme Court. There were both individual and public stakes at hand during this case. The public stakes is that Ali would be drafted to the war along with many other Americans, while the individual right at stake is that Ali’s First Amendment right of freedom of religion will not be protected. When Muhammad’s case finally reached the Supreme Court after four years of the ongoing case, the lower court’s decision was overruled. The decision was 8-0 in Ali’s favor. Clearly, Ali should have won the case from the beginning because the First Amendment protects your freedom of