"The First Amendment Opinion" Essay

BACKGROUND: Students have spent much of the last two weeks reading about and analyzing court cases pertaining to the First Amendment. In this assessment, students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the First Amendment while giving their opinion regarding one of two current First Amendment stories.

REQUIREMENTS: Students will be creating a one page essay outlining the pertinent information regarding the case at hand, the Supreme Court rules and regulations regarding the case and THEIR opinion as to what the outcome of the case would be if presented to the Supreme Court and WHY. Students must use proper grammar and complete sentences in their writing.

THE STORIES: There are two stories to consider for this writing:

  • A story about the separation of church and state in which a cross at the top of a town war memorial is being questioned: Cross Memorial Story Link. (shorter article, includes a video link for complete information.)
  • A story about churches being required to rent their space to gay couples: Gay Couple Story Link. (longer article, but very thorough in discussing the issues of the story.)

RESOURCES: Students may use ANY resources at their disposal to complete this essay, including their notes, the internet, etc. They MAY NOT work in groups, this is a QUIZ!

DIRECTIONS: You do not have much time for this assignment, select one of the stories above, read it and start working on your essay. Make sure you include the following in your writing:

  • A brief outline the content of the controversy in the story. What are the issues, who is complaining and about what?
  • Address the First Amendment rights being questioned in the story: What rights are being violated? Who is being hurt by the law or action? What TEST (Lemon Test, Coercion Test, etc.) or RULE (Clear and Present Danger, Libel and Slander, etc. ) might be in play in this situation?
  • YOUR opinion as to what would happen in this case should the case come in front of the Supreme Court. Which side do you think would win and why?

SUBMISSION: Your work should be AT LEAST one complete page typed in WORD. The work may also be handwritten, but handwritten essays should be two pages in length. Students will need to turn in a hard copy of their work by the end of the day. Make sure to include your name on the document. I highly recommend using your notes and a thought web or a quick outline to plan your writing.

GRADING: This writing will be graded on two elements: 1) The writing in the essay- grammar, sentences, topic sentence, logical thought, etc. 2) The content of the essay: proper discussion of the First Amendment, Supreme Court rules and reinforcement of individual opinion. TOTAL POINTS- 100