School prayer has remained a subject of national debate in the United States throughout the 20th Century. Engel v. Vitale ushered in an era in which school prayer was effectively forbidden; however, with the passage of the Equal Access Act in 1984, some forms of school prayer were again sanctioned. The Department of Education now issues a guide to help school administrators practically apply congressional laws and Supreme Court decisions concerning school prayer. An international perspective shows that current U.S. policy towards school prayer is relatively unique, as most developed countries disallow prayer in public schools. For much of the 20th Century and into the 21st, school prayer has been the focal point of an ongoing debate about the
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However, several principles have been established with as much consensus as can be expected. An understanding of these, as well as of the history of prayer in public schools and the constitutional points crucial to the debate, will provide a solid foundation for further inquiry into any aspect of this multifaceted subject. Until the early 20th Century, prayer was an accepted aspect of public education. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, America remained a de facto Christian nation, and public school curriculum reflected this fact. The contemporary, mainstream debate about prayer in public schools actually began in 1948, when the Supreme Court handed down its first decision on the issue of religion in public schools, ruling in Illinois ex. rel. McCollum v Board of Education that it is unconstitutional to conduct religious education within public school buildings ("Keeping the Faith," 2000). This decision formed a basis for later decisions on school prayer. Since then, there have been two distinct periods in the history of school prayer. During the first, which lasted from approximately 1962 - 1984, school prayer was virtually excised from public …show more content…
The second period in the history of school prayer began in 1984 and continues into the present. This period has witnessed a limited return of prayer in public schools, with public debate about the issue emphasizing the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, expression, and religion. All of this changed in 1984, when Congress passed the Equal Access Act, which opened the second distinct period in the history of prayer in public schools. This piece of legislation was designed to correct the widely held perception that religious speech was prohibited in public schools (Balk,
However, several principles have been established with as much consensus as can be expected. An understanding of these, as well as of the history of prayer in public schools and the constitutional points crucial to the debate, will provide a solid foundation for further inquiry into any aspect of this multifaceted subject. Until the early 20th Century, prayer was an accepted aspect of public education. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, America remained a de facto Christian nation, and public school curriculum reflected this fact. The contemporary, mainstream debate about prayer in public schools actually began in 1948, when the Supreme Court handed down its first decision on the issue of religion in public schools, ruling in Illinois ex. rel. McCollum v Board of Education that it is unconstitutional to conduct religious education within public school buildings ("Keeping the Faith," 2000). This decision formed a basis for later decisions on school prayer. Since then, there have been two distinct periods in the history of school prayer. During the first, which lasted from approximately 1962 - 1984, school prayer was virtually excised from public …show more content…
The second period in the history of school prayer began in 1984 and continues into the present. This period has witnessed a limited return of prayer in public schools, with public debate about the issue emphasizing the First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, expression, and religion. All of this changed in 1984, when Congress passed the Equal Access Act, which opened the second distinct period in the history of prayer in public schools. This piece of legislation was designed to correct the widely held perception that religious speech was prohibited in public schools (Balk,