Student indifference may be the biggest threat to the First Amendment since the Sedition Act, which was passed by Congress in 1798.

The Sedition Act, which was part of a travesty of legislation often referred to collectively as the Alien and Sedition Acts, made it illegal to publish “any false, scandalous and malicious writing.” The act was intended to stifle Republicans, led then by Thomas Jefferson.

Public outrage led, in part, to Jefferson’s election as president in 1800 and the end to the law.

A survey released earlier this week, which was funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, found a disturbing trend among young people. Three in every four knew little about the First Amendment, didn’t understand its significance or took it for granted.

It gets worse. About 75 percent thought it’s illegal to burn an American flag. It’s not, and it shouldn’t be.

About 50 percent thought the government can censor the Internet. The Supreme Court has already disagreed.

And more than one third thought the protections of the First Amendment go too far.

While we could take some comfort in the fact that 83 percent of students said people should be allowed to express unpopular views, we don’t. The 17 percent who would squash dissent is much too high.

The attitudes and knowledge of the First Amendment, and the Bill of Rights and Constitution as a whole, are woeful. If we don’t take the job of educating the next generation about the foundations of our government more seriously we could unintentionally undermine the basis of our democracy.

“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 to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

First Amendment

to the U.S. Constitution