By the mid-1760s, the 13 colonies had 24 weekly newspapers (only New Jersey had one), and satirical attacks on government had become commonplace in American publications. These papers were read by everyone from the wealthiest colonists to impoverished slaves. The number of newspapers in the colonies was increasing rapidly, but most early newspapers were short lived. Only those that criticized their governments heavily or carried important news are known today. In Britain, the government banned the publication of newspapers that it considered offensive to its power structure. As a result, many Americans began publishing their own newspapers to voice discontent with the government's actions. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right for individuals in the United States. The First Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the federal government from making any law "prohibiting the free exercise" of religion or freedom of speech. These amendments were designed to protect the colonies' rights as they struggled for independence from Great Britain. In fact, without these amendments, there would have been no way for them to do so. Without these protections, the government could have simply shut down all of the colonies' newspapers -- including those that supported rebellion -- and sentenced their publishers to death. These laws were first written into legislation by Thomas Jefferson.