The Mason-Bracken County Bar Association awarded its 19th Annual Law Day Scholarship to Stephen Cordle, of the Augusta Independent High School on May 6, 2019.

Stephen is the second winner from the Augusta Independent School system. Present for the award was Robin Kelsch, Augusta Independent High School principal. Presenting the award was Delores Baker, Law Day chairperson of the Mason-Bracken County Bar Association President. Stephen was presented with a scholarship check of $500 along with a tee shirt, and coffee mug all carrying the Law Day theme.

The Mason-Bracken County Bar Association awards a $500 scholarship annually in conjunction with the national Law Day Celebration which occurs each May 1. The scholarship is open to any graduating senior from Mason County High School, Bracken County High School, St. Patrick High School, or Augusta Independent High School. The winner must write an essay on the Law Day theme as set forth by the American Bar Association. This year’s theme was “Free Speech, Free Press, and Free Society”.

Stephen’s award-winning essay follows:

As I pondered this year’s Law Day theme of Free Speech, Free Press, and Free Society, what came to my mind was the First Amendment. To me, the First Amendment is an integral part of our democracy and the foundation of our national government. The First Amendment is enumerated first not simply for convenience, but because it is indispensable to our status as rational and freethinking human beings. It states simply that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” In layman’s terms, this amendment guarantees American citizens the freedoms of religion, speech, press and assembly. The First Amendment directly ties in to this year’s Law Day theme, as it affords us the freedoms of speech and of press and guarantees us the ability to live our lives as we please within a free society. However, to completely understand the First Amendment and this year’s theme, it is important to understand the background of the amendment and how it affords us the right to think for ourselves.

At the time of the writing of both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the framers were seeking to create a government in which the federal state had minimal control over the lives of private citizens. To them, it was essential that government restrict itself from dictating the nuances of the lives of its people. They understood the problems of a totalitarian government and ensured that under their new administration the rights of the people would be protected. It is this protection, this blending of the rights of freedom of speech, press and religion that allows us to engage in the very essence of what it means to be human- to think for ourselves. Only by having these rights and these freedoms are we able to live as individuals and freely express ourselves.

Rational thought and free expression are what make us human. We are unique in that we are capable of using logic and reason to form our own thoughts and opinions. Humans have the exceptional ability to use facts and evidence as well as emotion to make judgments. After forming these judgments, thanks to our existence within a free society, we are able to express our views and opinions and make known our beliefs. Throughout history, people have been ridiculed and even killed for forming their own opinions and expressing them. Socrates was murdered for moving forward the boundaries of his intellect and individuality. Galileo Galilei, the father of physics, was scorned by the church and the contempt felt by Ludwig Boltzmann, the man who discovered statistical mechanics, caused him to commit suicide. It should not be taken lightly that we as Americans have the freedoms of speech and of press. We should be ever thankful to reside within a free society that affords us the ability to express ourselves. Never should be abandoned the freedoms given to us in the First Amendment, for if we ever forget to think for ourselves, someone else will decide they should think for us.

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