Supreme Court Cases on Separation of Church and State Clauses

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The United States of America was founded on the basis of religious freedom. Judgment on the legality of the Separation of Church and State should not be based on one’s religion. The phrase “Separation of church and state” sometimes known as the “wall of separation between church and state,” is a phrase used by Thomas Jefferson in understanding the two clauses of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment Clause is prohibits the government fro making any laws dealing with religion. As the second clause, The Free Exercise Clause goes along with the Establishment clause stating that Congress cannot make any law pertaining to religion or a law that prohibits free exercise. The public education system felt the greatest impact as a result of the First Amendment of the Constitution in 1791, when the connection between God and the good of civilization was destroyed. God is slowly being taken out of classrooms, ceremonies and even sporting events. The entities of Church and State have not been separated, but it does affect many. When debating the subject, it should not matter what religion you are, but how people’s rights are affected. Since the beginning of America, there have been multiple Supreme Court cases in which people, schools and organizations have gone after the right to ban religious affairs in such settings where it should not be exposed, such as public schools. Students are in school to learn about facts and history, not to learn religious thoughts or ideas. The public education system was established so that children can obtain a good education, whether it is in mathematics, English, or science. The United States is all about embracin...

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Masci, David. "In Brief: Supreme Court Revisits Legislative Prayer in Town of Greece v. Galloway." Pew Research Religion & Public Life Project 25 (2013): 3. ProQuest. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Mawdsley, Ralph D. “Lee v. Weisman.” Encyclopedia of Education Law. Ed. Charles J. Russo. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008. 499-507. SAGE knowledge. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
McCullough, Stephen R. “Abington Township School Districk v. Schempp and Murray v. Curlett. Encyclopedia of Education Law. Ed. Charles J. Russo. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2008. 4-12. SAGE knowledge. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Solomon, Stephen D. "God is still in the Classroom." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed. Jun 21 2013. ProQuest. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.
Wolf, Richard. "New York Town's Prayers Test Church-State Separation." Gannett News Service Nov 04 2013. ProQuest. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

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