Shadowing Practice: First Amendment | Constitution 101 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
123 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
I'm Jeffrey Rosen and I'm here at the National Constitution Center in front of the First Amendment tablet.
2
Let's talk about why the founders believed that Congress can make no law, abridging the freedom of speech,
3
press, religion, assembly, and petition?
4
Well, they had four reasons, which have been developed by the Supreme Court over the course of American history.
5
First, freedom of conscience is an unalienable right because people have the right and the duty to think for themselves.
6
Second, free speech makes our representatives accountable to we the people.
7
Third, free speech is necessary for the discovery of truth and the rejection of falsehood.
8
And fourth, free speech allows the public discussion necessary for democratic self -government.
9
Remarkably, all four of these reasons are clearly and brilliantly expressed in two texts that we're going to talk about today.
10
Thomas Jefferson's original draft of his Virginia Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom from 1777 and Justice Brandeis' opinion in Whitney v.
11
California from 1927.
12
Let's begin with Jefferson's bill, which he drafted after returning to Virginia from Philadelphia when he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
13
Jefferson considered his religious freedom bill among the three most important
14
accomplishments of his life important enough to be inscribed on his
15
tombstone along with his having drafted the declaration of independence
16
and founded the university of virginia under virginia's colonial religious code at the time all dissenters were required to support
17
and attend the established anglican church presbyterians
18
and baptists could be arrested for practicing their faith
19
or preaching the gospel quakers and jews
20
and other dissenters could be denied the freedom to marry or to have custody of their own children.
21
Jefferson proposed not only to disestablish the Anglican Church and remove all criminal punishments for dissent,
22
but also to prohibit all compelled support for religion of any kind.
23
He concluded that because freedom of conscience is a fundamental right, government can regulate overt acts against peace and good order,
24
but it lacks all power to intrude into the field of opinion.
25
Let's review each of Jefferson's four reasons.
26
First, freedom of conscience is an unalienable right, because people have the right and the duty to think for themselves.
27
Jefferson said, well aware that the opinions and beliefs of men depend not on their own will,
28
but follow involuntarily the evidence proposed to their minds.
29
God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will
30
that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of
31
restraint in other words jefferson argued freedom of conscience is by definition an unalienable right one
32
that can't be alienated or surrendered to government
33
because our opinions are the the involuntary result of the evidence contemplated by our reasoning minds.
34
We can't give presidents or priests or teachers or fellow citizens the power to think for us, even if we wanted to,
35
because we are endowed by our Creator with the capacity to reason, and therefore we can't help thinking for ourselves.
36
Second, free speech makes our representatives accountable to we the people.
37
In his religious freedom bill, Jefferson emphasized that it's crucial in a democracy
38
for citizens to be able to criticize public officials because legislators and religious leaders being themselves fallible and uninspired,
39
as Jefferson said, will always try to impose their own opinions and modes of thinking on others.
40
Jefferson's prediction came to a head in the controversy over the Alien
41
and Sedition Acts in 1798 when the Federalist Congress made it a crime to criticize the Federalist president,
42
John Adams, but not the Republican vice president, Thomas Jefferson.
43
Third, free speech is necessary for the discovery of truth and the rejection of falsehood.
44
Jefferson concludes his religious freedom bill with words expressing his unshakable faith in the power of reason
45
and reason deliberation to distinguish truth from error.
46
And the words that he used are inscribed in marble on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington.
47
Truth is great and will prevail if left to herself.
48
She is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error and has nothing to fear from the conflict unless by human interposition,
49
disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate.
50
Fourth, free speech allows the public discussion necessary for democratic self -government.
51
Jefferson believed that in a democracy, all citizens have an equal right and responsibility to exercise their rights of conscience.
52
As he put it in the Virginia Bill, proscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by laying upon
53
him an incapacity of being called to offices of trust and emolument, unless he professes or renounces this or that religious opinion,
54
is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages to which, in common with his fellow citizens, he has a natural right.
55
In 1927, in the greatest free speech opinion of the 20th century,
56
Justice Louis Brandeis distilled Jefferson's four reasons for protecting free speech into a few inspiring paragraphs.
57
The case was called Whitney v.
58
California, and here we see the first Jewish justice insisting on the right of Anita Whitney,
59
a white woman, to make a speech defending anti -lynching laws, which were designed to protect the life and liberty of African Americans.
60
Whitney made her speech at a Communist Party meeting, and she was convicted under a California law
61
that made it a crime to associate with organizations that advocated doctrines that might lead people to break the law. In 1926,
62
Brandeis had read Jefferson's original draft of the Virginia bill for establishing religious freedom
63
and in his Whitney opinion the following year Brandeis adopted
64
and refined Jefferson's standard for ensuring
65
that government could only punish overt acts of law -breaking
66
and not the expression of dangerous opinions as Brandeis put it
67
in Whitney fear of serious injury cannot alone justify suppression of free speech and assembly
68
men feared witches
69
and burnt women it is the function of speech to free
70
men from the bondage of irrational fears to justify suppression of free speech there must be reasonable ground to fear
71
that serious evil will result if free speech is practiced
72
and there must be reasonable ground to believe that the danger apprehended is imminent.
73
Brandeis's inspiring test for protecting free speech,
74
namely government can only ban speech if it's intended to and likely to cause imminent and serious injury,
75
was based on his Jeffersonian faith in the power of what he called free
76
and fearless reasoning to expose falsehood through public discussion.
77
As Brandeis put it, if there be time to expose through discussion the falsehoods and fallacies,
78
to avert the evil by the processes of education.
79
The remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.
80
Only an emergency can justify repression.
81
Brandeis's test was finally adopted by the Supreme Court in 1969 in the Brandenburg case, and as a result, the U .S.
82
Supreme Court and the United States of America now protect free speech more vigorously than any other country in the world.
83
Brandeis went on in Whitney to summarize Jefferson's four reasons for why government can't make laws designed to restrict free speech,
84
and in the process, Brandeis achieved a kind of constitutional poetry i'm now going to
85
read brandeis's central passage listen closely for each of jefferson's four
86
reasons here we go those who won our independence believed
87
that the final end of the state was to make men free to develop their faculties
88
and that in its government the deliberative forces should prevail over the arbitrary they valued liberty both as an end
89
and as a means.
90
They believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.
91
That's a quotation from Pericles' funeral oration.
92
They believed that freedom to think as you will
93
and to speak as you think are means indispensable to the discovery and spread of political truth.
94
That without free speech and assembly, discussion would be futile.
95
That with them discussion affords ordinarily adequate protection against the dissemination of noxious doctrine,
96
that the greatest threat to freedom is an inert people, that public discussion is a political duty, and that this should be a fundamental principle of the American government.
97
Well, that's the most inspiring paragraph on free speech ever written.
98
But as that paragraph shows,
99
all four of Jefferson and Brandeis' reasons for protecting free speech are based in an overwhelming faith in reason itself.
100
The First Amendment is based on that faith, that people will take time to develop their faculties of reason through education and public discussion.
101
that public discussion will be a check on arbitrary and partisan demagogues rather than enabling them,
102
that more speech will lead to the spread of more truth rather than more falsehood, and that people will, in fact,
103
take time for discussion and deliberation rather than making impulsive decisions.
104
All four of these founding faiths are being challenged in a polarized age of social media,
105
which is based on a business model of enrage and engage.
106
Twitter and Facebook and other platforms have accelerated public discourse to warp speed, creating virtual versions of the mob.
107
Inflammatory posts based on passion travel farther and faster than arguments based on reason.
108
And rather than encouraging deliberation,
109
mass media can undermine it by creating filter bubbles and echo chambers in which citizens see only those opinions they already embrace.
110
For these reasons, some are calling for America's free speech tradition to be reconsidered or amended.
111
Here at the National Constitution Center, in front of the First Amendment tablet, we are proud to preserve,
112
protect, and defend the faith in reason deliberation
113
that is the foundation of the freedom of conscience protected by the first amendment
114
which encompasses the five freedoms of speech press religion petition
115
and assembly as america's leading platform for non -partisan constitutional education
116
and debate we bring together americans of different perspectives to cultivate
117
their faculties of reason only by listening to the best arguments
118
on all sides of the constitutional questions at the center of american life can you exercise your right
119
and duty to make up your own mind.
120
Like Jefferson and Brandeis and Frederick Douglass and Ruth Bader Ginsburg and all of these great free speech heroes of American history,
121
we are dedicated to what Jefferson called the illimitable freedom of the human mind.
122
For here, as Jefferson said, we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead,
123
nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
✨ Recommend Video
C124
7 sentences
The First Amendment Explained | Quick Learner
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C11
607 sentences
Every Argument For Atheism
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
297 sentences
How This Famous Architect Changed America | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
52 sentences
English Reading Practice: #1 (Advanced) | Mahatma Gandhi
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C1625 sentences
Harvard Law Library Book Talk | Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
70 sentences
Philadelphia Travel Guide: Independence Hall, Liberty Bell and American History
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
C13
239 sentences
Alcohol Sucks Continued | Girls Gone Bible
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C1163 sentences
What the First Christians Really Believed Will Surprise You
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C12
201 sentences
The Freedom of Loneliness
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
58 sentences
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Obscenity Blocks, Cooking Oil, DC's Tipped Wage (Vol. 19)
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C12
160 sentences
UNCENSORED: should the West be suspicious of Islam? Jonathan Sacerdoti, at the Oxford Union
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
849 sentences
Feminist vs Anti Feminist Women | PART 1
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “First Amendment”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: speech, freedom, jefferson, Brandeis, discussion. This video has 123 sentences and 1737 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:44. The speaker talks at a steady 136 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| conscience noun | /ˈkɑn.ʃəns/ | The ethical or moral sense of right and wrong, chiefly as it affects a person’s own behaviour and forms their attitude to their past actions. |
| falsehood noun | /ˈfɒlsˌhʊd/ | The property of being false. |
| deliberation noun | /dɪˌlɪbəˈɹeɪʃən/ | The act of deliberating, or of weighing and examining the reasons for and against a choice or measure; careful consideration; mature reflection. |
| unalienable adjective | /ʌnˈeɪljənəbəl/ | Not alienable. |
| inspire verb | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by… |
| paragraph noun | /ˈpæɹəɡɹæf/ | A passage in text that starts on a new line, the first line sometimes being indented, and usually marks a change of topic. |
| dissenter noun | Someone who dissents (disagrees), especially from an established church. | |
| inscribe verb | /ɪnˈskɹaɪb/ | To write or cut (words) onto (something, especially a hard surface, or a book to be given to another person); to engrave. |
| overt adjective | /oʊˈvɚt/ | Open and not concealed or secret. |
| prevail verb | /pɹɪˈveɪl/ | To be superior in strength, dominance, influence, or frequency; to have or gain the advantage over others; to have the upper hand; to outnumber others. |
| criticize verb | /ˈkɹɪtɪsaɪz/ | To find fault (with something). |
| imminent adjective | /ˈɪmɪnənt/ | About to happen, occur, or take place very soon, especially of something which won't last long. |
| suppression noun | /səˈpɹɛʃən/ | The act or instance of suppressing. |
| partisan noun | /ˈpɑː.tɪˌzæn/ | An adherent to a party or faction. |
| arbitrary adjective | /ˈɑː.bɪ.tɹə.ɹi/ | Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bring together verb | To cause people to do something together; to bring about togetherness. | |
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | have been developed · be inscribed · were required |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | reasons, which have · laws, which were · those who won |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been developed · have accelerated |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, I'm, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: unworthy /ʌnˈwɝði/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: conscience /ˈkɑn.ʃəns/, deliberation /dɪˌlɪbəˈɹeɪʃən/, suppression /səˈpɹɛʃən/, rejection /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, disestablish /dɪsɪˈstæblɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: deliberation /dɪˌlɪbəˈɹeɪʃən/, unalienable /ʌnˈeɪljənəbəl/, arbitrary /ˈɑː.bɪ.tɹə.ɹi/, alienate /ˈeɪ.li.ə.neɪt/, antagonist /ænˈtæɡənɪst/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like conscience, falsehood, deliberation.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.