December 15 is National Bill of Rights Day! This day celebrates the ratification of the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791. The Bill of Rights was designed to protect the indispensable rights and liberties of Americans and ensure fundamental freedoms for all at the center of our democracy. On National Bill of Rights Day, we celebrate the strides our Nation has made towards justice and liberty for all since the signing of the Bill of Rights over 230 years ago while calling on our commitment to bettering our country in pursuit of a “more perfect union”.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights, were created to give citizens confidence in the new United States Government and ensure the protection of their unalienable rights and liberties through democracy. These rights include freedom of religion, which ensures the right to exercise one’s religion and protections against religious infringement, and freedom of speech, which protects an individual or community’s right to express their opinions and articulate their beliefs without fear of retaliation, censorship, or sanction. Freedom of speech goes with the freedom of the press to express your beliefs through publication and media, freedom of petition to call on the government to address a wrong or change a policy issue, and freedom of assembly to peacefully assemble or protest. Additionally, the Bill of Rights protects our right to privacy to be free of government intrusion into personal and private affairs, our right to due process to be treated fairly under the legal system when the loss of liberty or property is at stake, and the right to equality before the law regardless of our identities or backgrounds.
From restricting abortion access to censoring gender identity, and from attacking our rights to protest to attempting to undermine our right to petition, Florida Republicans are trying to eliminate our Constitutional rights and compromise our democracy. At Team Anna, we believe that all humans are created equal, and we will not stop fighting to protect our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness today and every day. On National Bill of Rights Day, we recognize the fundamental liberties ensured to us through our Constitution, and work to ensure their protection as we strive towards justice for all.