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Social Studies: You Decide!

Engle v. Vitale: Prayer in Schools

In 1962, the Supreme Court banned the use of the following prayer in schools: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and beg Thy blessings upon us, our teachers, and our country." The question to the court asked if the reading of such a prayer constitutes the establishment of a religion by the state. In a vote of 7 to 1, the court said "Yes." They cited the first amendment clause that states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." as the basis for their decision. In the one dissenting opinion, Justice Potter Stewart wrote that this was a misinterpretation of this clause. The Establishment Clause simply meant that the government could not create a state religion.

Answer the following questions in the form of an essay on a separate page.  Your essay should be two pages in length.

  1)  Research Engle v. Vitale. Briefly describe the majority opinion written by Justice Hugo Black and the dissenting opinion written by Justice Potter Stewart. With whom do you side? Why? Explain your answer.


  2)  How do you think this decision has affected America?


  3)  What affect has Engle v. Vitale had on other Establishment Clause cases? Choose two cases and research how this case was used in the majority opinion.




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   Sample Constitution Worksheet
Constitution Theme
Social Studies