First Amendment The initial ten amendments constitute the bill of rights and they were ratified in December 15, 1791. The first amendment dictates that Congress is not permitted to legislate on laws that praise or prohibit the establishment of a particular religion or restrict the free exercise of speech and media or the right of assembly to people and petitioning the government for reparation of grievances (American Library Association n.p). The part on press and speech liberties means that people are at liberty for expressing their views. It also allows them to receive exposure of a wide array of opinions and perspectives