Lesson 2: Freedom of Petition and Assembly
Congress shall make no law abridging the…right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the government for a redress of grievances.
—The First Amendment of the Constitution
Objectives:
1. Students will gain an understanding of the right to petition and the right to assemble.
2. Students will gain a better understanding of the rights and responsibilities of petitioning.
3. Students will gain a better understanding of the rights and responsibilities of assembly.
Procedures:
Step 1:
W.U.Y.B. (Wake Up Your Brain) - By way of an introduction to the lesson,
students will share their points of view on an open-ended question designed to build basic civic
knowledge, promote active leadership skills, and/or develop the art of deliberation. The goal for
this activity is to have every student in the class voice his/her opinion. To support students for
whom this would be a challenge, a THINK/PAIR/SHARE strategy is suggested.
 Because two students started to fight at a school dance, the high school principal has
decided to cancel all school dances for the rest of the school year. You and a group of
friends want to write a petition and get as many student and staff signatures as possible.
Your petition will not only say that dances should be reinstated but also will give some
solutions to the problem of disorderly conduct at school dances. What would your
idea(s) be?
Step 2:
Providing Background of Information:
The History of the Right to Petition and the Right to Assemble
In 1215 English noblemen forced King John of England to sign the Magna Carta, the
Great Charter. The noblemen wanted King John to address their petitions for change in the way
he ran his government. The Magna Carta was the most significant influence on how governments
in free countries are run today.
The English monarchy also restricted the right of English citizens to assemble in public
because they feared that they might try to take over the government.
In 1670 William Penn was tried for noisy assembly. Penn, a leader of the Quakers in
London, held a worship service for a peaceful group of fellow Quakers. The Quakers were not
recognized by the government and, therefore, were forbidden to meet in any building in order to
worship. Although the Court directed the jury to find Penn guilty, the jury did not.
Lesson 2: Freedom of Petition and Assembly
Colonists realized that the right to assemble and petition were of key importance to those
who wanted to be able to correct the wrongs done by their government.
In 1689 the English Bill of Rights gave all English subjects the right to petition. It is
listed in the Declaration of Independence that one of the reasons for the American Revolution is
the fact that the English King George III refused to hear any petitions from the colonies.
In 1774 the First Continental Congress published the Declaration of Resolves in which
they added the right to assemble.
The First Congress in 1791 added the right to assemble and the right to petition to its Bill
of Rights.
In California Motor Transport Co. v. Trucking Unlimited in 1972, the U.S. Supreme
Court stated that “the right to petition extends to all departments of the Government” and access
to the court system is only one form of petitioning.
In 2011, the Supreme Court stated in Borough of Duryea v. Guarnieri that “Both speech
and petition are integral to the democratic process…. The right to petition allows citizens to
express their ideas, hopes, and concerns to their government and their elected representatives,
whereas the right to speak fosters the public exchange of ideas that is integral to deliberative
democracy”
To Think About:
1. Imagine that the person in charge of your school/community does not respond to petitions for
change. In what responsible way(s) might you advocate for change?
2. Do you think that having a large group of students walk out of school and assemble outside is
a productive way to advocate for change? Why or why not?
3. Two-hundred people gather in a local mall to protest the fact that someone wants to build a
casino in your neighborhood. Do you think the protestors have the right to hold their protest in a
privately owned space like a shopping mall? Why or why not? Be prepared to support your
answer.
Step 3:
Developing a Plan of Action
A. First, as a whole group think about the pros and cons of writing a petition. The teacher
can give students the following information and talk about it, or he/she can have the
students generate their own ideas from their background of experience.
Pros
1.
Petition give many people the
opportunity to share their collective opinion
on an issue.
.
2. Petitions are fairly quick and easy to
make.
Cons
3. Petitions allow you to spread your idea
quickly.
4. Petitions give the people signing them a
feeling of accomplishment.
5. Petition show that there are a lot of
people concerned about your issue..
© 2013 Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
Lesson 2: Freedom of Petition and Assembly
1. People often use a petition to make
more of an issue than is really there.
3. Petitions do not allow time to think
about the issue critically.
4. Petitions rarely involve any action.
2. Other tools have more meaning and,
therefore, are often more effective
5. People sign petitions even if they do
not care about the issue.
B. Second, decide as a class on an issue on which to develop a petition.
C. Third, decide to whom to send the petition. For example, you might send your letter to
your
Principal, School Board, Administration, local community leaders, State
Representative, etc.
D. Fourth, write a brief cover letter in support of your issue, clearly explaining your issue
and what you want to change. This will go on the top of your petition.
E. Within the class, see how many students would sign the class petition and why.
Step 4:
Reflecting on Change in a Democracy
Writing assignment: Choose one example of how the rights to petition and/or assembly helped to
bring about a change in the law that affected how people live in the US and write a brief, multi
paragraph essay explaining what happened historically, how people used petition and/or assembly
to accomplish their goals, and what changed and was it good for society or not.
Some examples include: Women’s Suffrage, Prohibition, Brown v. Board of Education, Selma to
Montgomery March, Vietnam War Protests, Salad Bowl Strike, Earth Day and Environmental
Movement, or choose your own.
© 2013 Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge