The First Amendment and the entire Bill of Rights were not initially included in the Constitution and it was not until December 15, 1791 that the First Amendment became part of the US Constitution. Constitution. When the Constitution was written in 1787, it left out the individual rights of citizens, which led to many states' refusal to ratify it. The United States Constitution was created to embody the fundamental principles of government, but the lack of a Bill of Rights was the primary reason many opposed its ratification. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay As stated in Article VII, “the vote of nine states shall be sufficient to establish the Constitution as the principal document uniting the states,” but by 1788 only four states had ratified it. At the time of ratification there was debate between those who supported it, the Federalists, and those who opposed it, the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists argued that the rights of individuals were already protected by state constitutions and that not listing these rights did not mean that they were non-existent as natural rights, which explains why the rights. of the First Amendment were not initially included in the Constitution. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists strongly disagreed and feared that the greater strength of a national government would lead to an abuse of individual rights. These disputes eventually gave rise to the drafting of a new one charter for the United States Constitution which included the First Amendment as the first section of the Bill of Rights. The point man on this draft was James Madison of Virginia, often considered “the father of the Constitution” because of his important contributions to the Constitution. Even though Madison was the person responsible for drafting the First Amendment, the man behind the idea was Thomas Jefferson. While Thomas Jefferson was absent from the Constitutional Convention serving as U.S. minister to France, he became Madison's mentor because he influenced on him the need for a Bill of Rights, and in particular the liberties described in the First Amendment were his highest priority . These fundamental liberties defined in the First Amendment were shaped by the documents protecting the rights and liberties of the Magna Carta in 1215. The First Amendment was proposed in the Bill of Rights in 1789 and was adopted by the states in 1791. The first article of the First Amendment L The amendment guaranteed freedom of religion and worship. The clause, as Thomas Jefferson pointed out, had established a “wall of separation between church and state” (Jefferson). However, according to the article, the government was banned from establishing an official church. However, freedom of religion was ensured with some exceptions added later, including the prohibition of ritual slaughter and the refusal of medical treatment for religious purposes. Freedom of expression and of the press was also guaranteed in the First Amendment; therefore, some exceptions were imposed. The article gives the press the right to criticize the government. However, during times of war some exceptions were made which gave the government the right to censor the press. For example, President Abraham Lincoln was the first to censor anti-Union newspapers during the Civil War. Additionally, using offensive language against the flag, government, and Constitution was considered a crime during World War I. In addition to wartime, freedom of expression and of the press is limited when it comes to obscene material. The amendment guarantees the right to peaceably assemble. . Similar to previous articles, this one has been refined several times. Now this.