prayer in school
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The nation's heritage is deeply entwined with religion. The shores of America offered safe harbor for many people fleeing religious persecution abroad, and those diverse groups built communities centered on their religious beliefs and heritage.
In an attempt to avoid the wars and sectarian disputes that were tearing Europe apart and had made America so attractive to seekers of religious freedom in the 17th and 18th centuries, Constitution drafters included in the First Amendment to the Constitution the following guarantee:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof
These First Amendment words pertaining to religious freedom form two clauses, often distinguished as the "establishment clause" and the "free exercise" clause.
The framers of the document recognized that the rights of citizens to practice religion of their own "free" choosing were only possible if the Constitution was complemented by a clause that prevents the federal government from directing, administering or advocating an official "established" religion.
Despite the clause, distinctions between "church and state"--between the religious and government sectors of American culture--have always been blurred. After all, the people in a democracy are encouraged to take measures to influence public policy by which they, and their children, live. For many people, their political views are often shaped by their religious views; however, the Constitution forbids public institutions, shaped by citizens, from endorsing a particular religion.
Tension between the Constitution's apparent prohibition of government-endorsed religion and the Constitution's guarantee of individual religious expression is especially prevalent in public schools, which have close historic relationships with religion.
Early American Education
Churches were the major underwriters of early public education in colonial America because widespread literacy was considered to be the best way to spread knowledge of religious texts. But as the country grew to embrace a greater array of religious diversity and community, the sectarian orientation of schools created problems between different religious groups...