From public aid to parochial schools to censorship of library books, Americans are intensely interested in their expressive rights of speech, press, assembly and religion. They are also concerned about censorship, tolerance of pornography and obscenity, and about their security in a post 9-11 world. This reference comprehensively examines all the freedoms in the First Amendment, including free speech, press, assembly, petition, and religion. Encyclopedia of the First Amendment covers the political, historical, and cultural significance of the First Amendment. It provides exclusive, singular focus on what most people consider the essential elements of the Bill of Rights and the basic liberties that Americans enjoy. This work traces themes like expressive rights in American political and legal history, in American political thought and social movements, in political and popular culture, and in the arts, along with the classic tensions between freedom of the individual and maintenance of political order.