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The First Amendment Analysis

Decent Essays

The First Amendment was created to keep the state and church separate. Which in turn gives all religions freedom to worship and practice their faith without state interference or funding. In the 1960s, two cases changed the state funded school systems drastically. They tested the interpretation of the First Amendment and how it protects the minority religions in America.
The first issue was in Champaign, Illinois, where the school system was providing religious classes to the students. Those students who did not want to participate were stuck in the hallway with a desk to study on their own. Vashti McCollum, an atheist mother, learned of the treatment of her son, when he did not participate in the classes. McCollum brought her case before the local judge against the school board. The court ruled in favor of the school system. …show more content…

Students were required to recite a prayer in school in the state of New York. Five Jewish families were upset about the prayer, because it did not align with their religion. They, too, lost their local and state cases. When they reached the Supreme Court, the school system lost the case. The Court ruled that the school is state funded and cannot require students to pray.
To understand why the Supreme Court ruled to protect minorities, there are two key points to review. The first is the Judicial System, America uses the common law system. Common law is law developed the course of time from court decisions. The Supreme Court has to interpret the United States Constitution. As stated earlier the First Amendment separates the church and state. Therefore, state funded school systems are not allowed to participate in religious practices. Secondly, the controversy of the Civil Rights movement was a hot topic. The African Americans were a minority who was treated unjustly and brought challenge to the normal Christian way of

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