Historical Progression and Changing Role of Religion in Education

By kanderson1

  • Old Delunder Satan Act

    Enacted by the Mass. Legislature, this act required the establishment and support of the first public schools in America, in towns of 50 or more families to teach children to read and write; a person could gain salvation and resist satan only by the ability to read the Bible.

  • The First Amendment

    This ammendment said that congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

  • Gitlow vs. New York

    This case was brought before the United States Supreme Court, which ruled that the fourteenth amendment of the United States constitution had extended the reach of certain provisions in the first amendment, especially protecting the freedom of speech.

  • Cantwell v. Connecticut

    The Cantwell family brought this case before the supreme court saying that the state's action in convicting the Cantwells with inciting a breach of the peace and violating the solicitation statute violated their First Amendment right to free exercise of religion. The supreme court agreed, and ruled in their favor.

  • West Virginia v. Barnette

    The Supreme Court made it clear that students may not be required to salute the flag.

  • West Virginia vs. Barnette

    This case was brought before the Supreme Court, and protected students from being forced to salute the American Flag, and saying the Pledge of Allegiance in school.

  • Everson v. Board of Edu.

    The first major establishment clause decision, wherein the court held that the government cannot aid any one religion or even all religions, but instead must be neutral toward religion.

  • "Release Time" Religious Education

    The arrangement of "Release Time", where religious instruction takes place off of school ground, was upheld. Though legal, many teachers still find that it disrupts planned instruction time.

  • Engle v. Vitale

    In 1951 the New York Board of Regents issued a 22 word prayer to be said by teachers, and students whose parents did not object, every morning before class. Their goal was that the prayer would help to make students better moral and eticial people. In this case the parents of 10 children went before the Supreme Court when the state court upheld the prayer, saying it violated the first and fourteenth amendments of their childrens' rights. The Supreme Court declared the prayer unconstitutional

  • School Dist. of Abington Township v. Schemp

    This case was brought to the Supreme Court by Edward Schempp, argueing that school-sponsered Bible reading shouold not take place in public schools. On June 17, 1963, the Court decided 8–1 in favor of the respondent, Edward Schempp, and declared school-sponsored Bible reading in public schools in the United States to be unconstitutional.

  • Lemon V. Kurtzman

    "The Supreme Court announced a three-part test to evaluate establishment clause claims. The Government action or policy must (1) have a secular purpose, (2) have a primary effect that neither advances nor impedes religion, and (3) avoid excessive entanglement of government with religion."

  • Wisconsin vs. Yoder

    "The best-known case involving a free exercise claim involving the Amish. This case exempeted the children from school attendance after successful completion of the eighth grade, due to the vocational training that the children begin at this age.

  • "Voluntary Prayer" struct down.

    The Supreme Court struck down an Alabama law allowing voluntary or silent prayers in public schools, and and existing statute that authorized a period of silent meditation. The insertion indicated an intent to encourage students to pray.

  • Wallace vs. Jaffee

    An Alabama law of silent medatation and voluntary prayer was taken before the supreme court, when the district court upheld it. A parent sued, alleging that this practice violated the first ammendment, because it forced students to pray, and exposed them to religious doctrines.The Court decided 6-3 that the Alabama law providing for a moment of silence was unconstitutional.

  • Lee vs. Weisman

    It has been a very common practice for principals to invite clergy members to deliver benedictions and invocations at graduation ceremonies. This case took place in a Rhode Island school district, and this common policy was declared unconstitutional by the court as a violation of the establishment clause . 7 Though attemance was voluntary, the court considered that students would feel peer-presure to attemd such an important school-sponsored event.

  • Doe vs. Madison School District

    In this case a parent and her two children went before circuit court to challange a school district which allowed four graduating students to deliver a poem, speech, song, or prayer of their choice at commencement ceremony. This was in no way iniciated by the school, and was ruled to be constitutional, in the schools favor.

  • Altman vs. Bedford Cent. School Dist.

  • Newdow vs. United States

    This case was brought to court due to the inclusion of the phrase "under God", when saluting the American Flag; however, it was dismissed on precedurable grounds because the father of the child who brought the suit did not have legal custody of the child.