Dec. 15, 2021
By Sarah Rose Sammarone
Staff Writer
In November 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated Dec. 15 as Bill of Rights Day to recognize the anniversary of the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. He made it a national holiday and declared all public buildings to display the American flag.
The Bill of Rights was written in the Federal Hall in New York City. James Madison drafted the amendments, which list specific prohibitions on government power. The document became part of the U.S. Constitution on Dec. 15, 1791, making this the 230th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights and the 80th anniversary of Bill of Rights Day.
United States history teacher Mr. Tessalone said the Bill of Rights is one of the defining characteristics of the United States.
“The idea that these rights were written down… led the United States to become a trendsetter,” Tessalone said.
He said the Bill of Rights was a source of debate among the Federalists and Antifederalists.
“It’s also your duty to be educated and to speak out when you feel that things need to be discussed or things need to be debated.”
“There were some people that wanted a central government, and there were some people who were very fearful of a strong central government, thinking that individual liberties can be taken away,” Tessalone said. “This is from the context of the American Revolutionary War and the creation of the Constitution and the years after, so ultimately, a compromise was reached and a Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution.”
Tessalone said there is not enough time for him to teach all 10 amendments in detail in his U.S. History I Honors class. Therefore, he focuses on three or four of the most influential amendments.
“We look at it from a historical perspective, and we go back to that debate over the power of the federal government,” Tessalone said. “As a class, we discuss things like: Should a federal government be able to do this or do that?”
He said the Bill of Rights protects people even when they do or say something that is considered unpopular.
“For instance, some of the amendments give rights to people accused of crimes. Sometimes we might think that we don’t care about that, but the idea that you provide even someone accused of a crime with rights is, again, a bedrock principle of the United States,” Tessalone said.
Advanced Placement Government and Politics teacher Mr. Clifford said he covers the First Amendment—which includes the freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition—in depth.
He said despite the First Amendment’s power, it also has limitations.
“For example, you can’t yell ‘fire’ in a crowded movie theater. You can’t yell ‘bomb’ at an airport,” Clifford said. “People have to understand that people also have freedom of speech and freedom of expression, so sometimes what you say, what you do, what you wear or what’s on your body can have a significant impact on other people and how other people view you. I think it’s a lesson of respect.”
Clifford said he emphasizes the importance of Supreme Court cases when teaching the First Amendment.
“Looking at those fundamental Supreme Court cases is very important because people and students understand that those rights have been violated and challenged throughout our country‘s history, but at the end of the day, our Supreme Court, luckily, has usually sided in favor of free speech, free expression or free press,” Clifford said.
He said students need to understand their Constitutionally protected rights.
“It’s also your duty to be educated and to speak out when you feel that things need to be discussed or things need to be debated,” Clifford said.
Senior Carmen Panuccio, who is enrolled in Clifford’s AP Government and Politics class, said it is important to know about the First Amendment because it outlines what people can say or do in public. He said it also gives journalists the rights they need to do their job, which was confirmed in the 1971 Supreme Court case New York Times v. U.S.
“The New York Times actually obtained the Pentagon Papers exposing Nixon for his acts, which is eventually why he resigned, so Supreme Court cases like that give journalists a lot of power,” Panuccio said.
According to the Freedom Forum Institute’s 2019 State of the First Amendment survey, 71% of the 1,007 adult respondents polled could correctly recall at least one freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment. Only six respondents could correctly name all five freedoms.
Panuccio said most people know little about the Bill of Rights because they do not think it pertains to them.
“However, with [controversies in the] modern-day like free speech and the Second Amendment, those are things that the country is getting more exposed to, which is a good thing because it applies to everybody,” Panuccio said. “Everybody should know their rights.”
