Freedom Forum Launches Online Academy to Expand First Amendment Education Nationwide
Ask Americans their favorite constitutional freedom, and most will say free speech. Ask people to name the four additional freedoms the First Amendment protects, and most are less sure.
Freedom Forum has been asking people what they know and believe about the First Amendment nearly every year since 1997, so we know it can be easy to take these five freedoms for granted and tricky to apply them.
It can get especially complicated when we’re confronted with everyday, real-life questions about how these freedoms function in practice. What’s protected? Where are the limits? Who decides and how?
Freedom Forum’s vision is an America where everyone knows, values and defends the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. That’s why we’ve launched the First Amendment Academy, a new hub for fast, free courses and quizzes to grow your essential knowledge of our fundamental freedoms.
Whether it’s been decades since you took a civics class, or you’re enrolled in or teaching one now, Freedom Forum invites you to explore the Academy’s 25 quick quizzes and five series of free online courses.
With the Academy’s resources, provided at no cost, you’ll get to test and build your knowledge on questions like these:
- Can you tell when constitutional free speech protections apply and when they don’t?
- Take our three-minute “Do You Know Your Free Speech Rights?” quiz to find out, then fill in any gaps in your knowledge through the “What Is Free Speech?” course.
- Do you know when a protest is protected and when it can be restricted?
- Take a three-minute “Are These Protests Protected by the First Amendment?” quiz, then see how the First Amendment protects today’s protest movements in the “Modern Assembly in Action” course.
Test your knowledge with quick quizzes
First Amendment fans, teachers, students and lifelong learners alike can test their First Amendment knowledge in a fun, interactive way with the Academy’s 25 quizzes, like:
Quizzes include thought-provoking questions and ripped-from-the-headlines scenarios as well as quick explanations of current First Amendment law, plus links to learn more with Freedom Forum resources and articles.
Test your 1A savvy with these quizzes and more. Then share your results, challenge your friends and family, and compete on the leaderboard.
Dive deeper into First Amendment fundamentals and current questions with fast, free courses
The First Amendment Academy also includes five series of free online courses, each focused on a different First Amendment freedom. Each series includes three engaging 10- to 20-minute courses full of real-world examples, interactive activities and current legal questions. The courses are available for free on the ASU CareerCatalyst online education platform.
These First Amendment courses start with no judgment, no nonsense, down-the-middle explanations of what courts have said about common First Amendment scenarios and why, including:
- Religion in schools and workplaces
- The limits of protest
- How press freedom protects everyone
In each freedom’s series, courses also provide key historic context to show how freedoms have been interpreted and practiced over time, with topics like:
- Historic protest movements
- Petitions that changed America
- The role of the press in democracy
Finally, courses explore current questions and debates around First Amendment freedoms, including:
- Challenges for the modern press
- Petitions in a digital age
- Free speech on the internet
These courses make learning about the First Amendment fun, fast and relevant.
You’ll become more confident in your knowledge and empowered to use and defend your freedoms with practical tips. Plus, when you complete a series, you’ll earn a digital badge to showcase and share your achievement.
Check out these resources and more covering the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition, all in the First Amendment Academy — and you’ll be on your way to becoming a First Amendment champion!
First Amendment Academy courses are presented by Freedom Forum and hosted by Arizona State University. Access the free courses by creating an account on the ASU CareerCatalyst online learning platform. Freedom Forum collaborated with ASU and NEWSWELL to co-develop these courses, combining Freedom Forum’s trusted content, NEWSWELL’s expansive media network and ASU’s expertise in online learning.
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