Citing the First Amendment The Wikipedia article should start with a plain citation of the first amendment before launching into a breakdown of its components or any explanation of the amendment The article should start by saying The first amendment to the Constitution of the United States is 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 Citation The Constitution of The United States Not doing so fails to allow the reader to interpret and judge the discussion in full knowledge of the amendment itself I can see no good reason for creating such a situation and can easily see how it opens the door to those who wish to persuade the reader to adopt a particular interpretation lacking reference to the amendment itself Why open that door Start by stating the amendment That is what the article is about