Patricia Lucas
5/11/2015
U. S. Government
Mr. Burke.
Engel vs Vitale.
The prayer: “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg They blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country.” In 1950s, it was normal to pray in schools, the prayers were not required. The teachers thought it would be a good way to help children have better morales and better religious life. In 1959, 5 parents at New Hyde Park school district filed a lawsuit against the local school board, they felt that the school prayer violated the 1st amendment of the bill of rights.
The student and parents of the local school received a lot of hateful calls, letters, and remarks because they
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One of the effects that cause is that Engel vs Vitale religion is not longer a part of education. The court rule in favor od the family by Engel, the case also affect the students and the teacher who do not pray. The religious nature of prayer was discover by Jefferson, and has been recognanized by the Theological writers, on the U.S Supreme Court, and State courts and administrative officials, including New York's Commissioner of Education. Everyone don’t always pray before they eat or go to bed, after this issue the student were forced to pray evry morming. In the discuss they were 2 Jewish families, and Atheist family, a Unitarian family, and another Prostestant family who participated in the lawsuit. A no-denominational prayer in public shcool violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Justice Douglas wrote a concurrence paper that also demotes the prayer. Justice Stewart wrote a dissent paper claiming that the court decision was wrong. The against people were saying that they violated the amendments while in the 1st amendments says “freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of peaceably to assemble, and freedom of petiton.”in this case they didn’t violeted that amendment, but they force the students to pray. Justice Douglas concurring said; “The prayer is said upon the commencement of the school day, immediately following the pledge of allegiance to the flag. The prayer is said aloud in the presence of a teacher, who either leads the recitation or selects a student to do so. No student, however, is compelled to take part. The respondents have adopted a regulation which provides that.” He said that the person that is praying has the right to do it and the knowlage to believe in that the person