If you have been at least halfway plugged in since the latter part of 2015, then you are fully aware of the toxicity that exists in our current political climate. The immersion of Donald Trump as a political newcomer has assured us that our descent from normalcy and bipartisanship was not only swift but seemingly a thing of the past that once provided a path for equality and common ground. Though the tension of 2015 was not the cause of the elitist power grab and lack of tolerance for democratic differences that has sent our country into a civic upheaval, it was merely a symptom that had been festering for decades. However, Trump’s unprecedented tactics and relentless falsehoods have drastically manipulated how we interpret our constitutional rights and has allowed the founding document to be weaponized for political gain.
             One of the most straightforward cases that demonstrates our assault on the Constitution is the silent protest of Colin Kaepernick. In 2016, the Super Bowl Champion and San Francisco 49ers quarterback took a knee during the national anthem of an NFL football game. Kaepernick, the son of bi-racial parents, used his massive platform to bring awareness to racial inequality, particularly police brutality, which had turned into a national epidemic of killing black people.
             In Johnathan Capeheart’s "Taking A Knee With Colin Kaepernick and Standing With Stephen Curry Against Trump," Capeheart underscores the significance of the first amendment, “If you know me, I’m not a big sports fan. But President Trump’s deplorable attacks against the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of speech have made me a fanatic for Stephen Curry and Colin Kaepernick, the National Basketball Association and the Football League” (Capeheart 458). Capeheart’s new fandom derives from Trump’s response to Kaepernick’s protest and due to Stephen Curry’s assertion, “We have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to...