On August 11 and 12, 2017, a rally called “Unite the Right” was organized by a group called Alt-Right, made up of a group of white supremacists, white nationalists, neo-Confederates, neo-Nazis, and various types of militias to oppose the idea of ​​taking down the Robert E. Lee statue from Emancipation Park. Although this group has very racist and negative views, this would not be acceptable without the freedoms we enjoy today. So this essay will talk about what it means to be American. Being able to enjoy religious freedoms, freedom of speech, and equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of who you are and what you represent, without fear of prosecution - that's what being an American is. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay According to BBC News, almost 71% of Americans are Christian, with the 29% being a combination of Protestant, Catholic, Evangelical, Liberal faiths , Mormon, Jehovah's Witness or other. This variety of religious beliefs would not be acceptable without the rights that protect us from religious prosecution. In other countries, during the era of America's "development", if you openly said that you did not believe in the state religion, typically Catholic, you exposed yourself to social ostracism or persecution. . Fortunately, the First Amendment to the Constitution states that the government cannot establish a state religion like so many other countries have done for ages, giving us the ability to freely practice our favorite religion. The First Amendment, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights, was first suggested on September 25, 1789 and was finally adopted on December 15, 1791. The idea of ​​religious freedom was a concept created by Roger Williams, William Penn and later by founding fathers such as James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. They wanted to separate the State from the Church because of all the conflicts it caused; they wanted to be able to create a set of laws that could be used for all religions, beliefs, morals, etc. for a fairer system of government. Coming back to the Alt-Right rally, the First Amendment protects them from prosecution for freely expressing their “religious” ideals and beliefs despite being white supremacists, white nationalists, neo- Confederates, neo-Nazis, etc., and go against most morals. The Westboro Baptist Church, which has similar beliefs to the Alt-Right, is a church located in Kansas that is infamous for its ideology. His website, called "Godhatesfags.com", has generated quite a bit of controversy, but it is acceptable in the eyes of the law because it is not a crime since it is protected by the First Amendment which protects the freedom of expression as well as freedom of expression. religious freedom. Thanks to this amendment, you can freely express your feelings on any topic on the Internet, through protests or in any other way, as long as you do not act on them, which turns into a hate crime punishable by up to 10 years or even life, depending on the extent of the violence. Articles, journals, poems, works of art, novels, etc. are all examples of freedom of expression and the creator cannot be sued under any circumstances due to their right of expression, regardless of their content. In 1633, the astronomer Galileo Galilei was convicted of heresy, a belief contrary to that of orthodox religions, for expressing his belief that the solar system was heliocentric. He was locked in his house and had no.