Establishment Clause

Compare the 1st and 2nd Great Awakenings

Establishment and Free Exercise Clause

often conflict with each other:• In schools, the religion issue is most

prevalent • If a student raises his hand and asks,

“Teacher, can we say an opening prayer before this test?”

Establishment and Free Exercise Clause often conflict with each

other:• If the teacher says: “Yes!” It looks like establishment of

religion.• “No!” It is denying a student free

exercise.

The Establishment Clause

• A government cannot promote religion

• What is the purpose of the Establishment clause?

The Establishment Clause

Governments can:• Teach about religions in school• Allow voluntary prayer in many examples• Transport students to a religious school• Read Bible for culture or literacy content

The Establishment Clause

Governments cannot:• Set a state religion • Government cannot order a prayer• Teach religious doctrine in the school• Pay seminary teachers• Teach creationism

The Supreme Court and the Establishment Clause

• The Supreme Court has held fast to the rule of strict separation between church and state when issues of prayer in public school are involved.

Establishment Clause - The Free Exercise Clause

• Congress shall make no law… prohibiting the free exercise thereof (religion)” is designed to prevent the government from interfering with the practice of religion.

• This freedom is not absolute.• Several religious practices have been ruled unconstitutional

including:– Snake handling– Use of illegal drugs– polygamy

• Nonetheless, the Court has made it clear that the government must remain NEUTRAL toward religion.

Establishment Clause – See you at the Pole!

• Student participation in before-or after-school events, such as “see you at the pole,” is permissible.

• School officials, acting in an official capacity, may neither discourage nor encourage participation in such as event.

1st vs. 2nd G.A. vs. Civil War Revivals (3rd GA)

1st Great Awakening

• Emphasize the individual• Call back to RELIGION• all men are equal, • the true value of a man lies in his moral

behavior, not his class• that all men can be saved

GREAT AWAKENING PART DEUX

• Growing liberalism starting in the early 1800's• Revivals on Southern Frontier• Second Great Awakening introduced new sects• Second Great Awakening– “camp meetings occurred” – thousands would become “saved”

• Revivals stimulated – church membership – variety of humanitarian reforms

GREAT AWAKENING PART DEUX

• Evangelicalism became emphasized during the time of the Second Great Awakening – A belief in the need for personal conversion (or

being "born again") – Actively expressing and sharing the gospel – A high regard for biblical authority, especially

Biblical inerrancy – An emphasis on teachings that proclaim the death

and resurrection of Jesus.

Idealism in the Second Great Awakening

• Emotionalism not as high as 1st GA• Religion began to influence other ideals such as

– freedom from cruelty of war– discrimination– intoxicated drinking– slavery

• There were increased plantation missions held for slaves• Methodists and Presbyterians divide on the issue of

slavery in 1830's-1840's• Idealistic religion on a utopian socialism, moral reform,

and other ideas came to Christianity

Important Sects and Ideas

• Two other sects that were born were Methodists and Baptists

• Encouraged women to pray aloud in public and denounced both alcohol and slavery

• Both these sects stressed personal conversion and explored a democratic control of church affairs

Divisiveness Caused by the Second Great Awakening

• Second Great Awakening widened lines between class and region.

• This split between North and Southern Faith and ideals in religion – considered the first sign of splitting– followed by a split in politics and the Union.

Protestants encouraged increase in educational learning and also importance of education in every household

More religious movements

Unitarianism - emphasized reason as the path to perfection & faith in the individual

• Transcendentalist - emphasized that truth could be discovered intuitively by observing nature and relating it to one’s own emotional and spiritual experience.

• Mormons• African American Church – Similar to Moses

and releasing Jews from Egypt

Second Great Awakening and Abolition

• Second Great Awakening later affected the Abolitionist Movement• “Second Great Awakening now inflamed the hearts of many

abolitionists against the sin of slavery.” (Bailey).• Supporting abolitionist movement, Protestant beliefs displayed a

variety of humanitarian reform • Church Attendance decreased later in the later 1800's compared to

the ¾ of 23 million Americans living in the country• Overview: Religion in the 1800's was greatly influence by the

Second Great Awakening, and became more liberal and divided in North and South and Class Status