What is the significance of the First Amendment with speech and press?

The First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press and one of the most important rights listed in the United States Constitution, however, just six years after the ratification of the this document, laws were passed to limit free expression. These laws were called the alien and sedition acts of 1798, resulting in people getting jailed or fined for criticizing government leaders and policies. The reason these laws were passed was because the government was paranoid about a French invasion but it infuriated the people that the same men who wrote the Constitution could turn around six years later and take away the freedoms they had given.

The rights of speech and press make sure the government cannot interfere with a person or group if they are merely speaking their minds through voice or text. Adding on to this is the idea of prior restraint, which further states that the government cannot silence someone from speaking their mind before they have spoken. If these rights were taken away then the whole idea of democracy would be lost, as the government would be able to control what the people say and what they write so nothing slanderous would ever be written about the people in power. In this respect, the rights of the First Amendment are the most important items listed in the Constitution as they prevent our form of government from falling apart and ensure the common citizen continues to have a voice in society.