Freedom of Assembly
Definition:
According to the United Nations Human Rights, freedom of assembly is defined as “the right of peaceful assembly includes the right to hold meetings, sit-ins, strikes, rallies, events or protests, both offline and online.” Similarly, this freedom of assembly is codified in the United States within the First Amendment — amongst other freedoms.
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History
Federalists and Anti-Federalists were in disagreement when it came to the lack of basic civil rights within the Constitution. Many Federalists argued, as in Federalist No. 84, that people did not surrender any rights if the states decided to adopt the Constitution. This led to the Massachusetts Compromise in February 1788, where four states (Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and New Hampshire) ratified the Constitution and sent recommendations for amendments to Congress.
James Madison introduced 12 amendments to the First Congress in the year 1789. 10 of these became known as the Bill of Rights.
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Covered under the 1st Amendment
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states 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 peaceable to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances.”
Want more info on the 1st Amendment, check these out:
Freedom of Assembly and Petition- FindLaw
The First Amendment- Constitution of the United States