First Amendment - Freedom to Read Foundation

First Amendment

The First Amendment of the United States Constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Would you like a full-size copy of the poster featured above? The members of the Freedom to Read Foundation Education Committee, in conjunction with our colleagues at Penguin Random House, would be glad to share one or two with you for your library, classroom, community center or home. Please fill out this form to receive your own copy.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees all individuals the right to express their ideas without governmental interference, and to read and listen to the ideas of others. The Freedom to Read Foundation was established to promote and defend this right; to foster libraries as institutions wherein every individual's First Amendment freedoms are fulfilled; and to support the right of libraries to include in their collections and make available any work which they may legally acquire.

Founded in 1969, the Freedom to Read Foundation was the American Library Association's response to its members' interest in having adequate means to support and defend librarians whose positions are jeopardized because of their resistance to abridgments of the First Amendment; and to set legal precedent for the freedom to read on behalf of all people

Staff, trustees, members, and friends of the Freedom to Read Foundation use education, litigation, and advocacy to protect First Amendment rights for all.