Mandatory Prayer In Schools

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Our country is founded around the rights given to the people. When these rights are challenged the people have the power to take them to court. In New York City, 10 families felt their children’s rights were being stripped through the forcing of a mandatory prayer. Although the prayer was nondenominational, these parents still felt it was a violation of the freedom of religion. After examining the freedom of religion located in the First Amendment decision was made. The rights of these children were indeed violated and decided on by the supreme court in
The First Amendment protects the right to freedom of religion. Nobody should be forced into a mandatory prayer under the First Amendment. Our government is founded on the principle of the separation of the church and the state. The separation of state and church are being challenged within this case. As it says within the First Amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This means that congress shall not make a law that forces a religion among its citizens. By forcing prayer among a group of people their First Amendment rights are being violated.
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The prayer occurred after the pledge of Allegiance and established the dependence on God. The school system was sued by a group of parents arguing their children’s First Amendment rights were violated. They believed that any mandatory prayer violated their children’s rights. As this case traveled through court, being nondenominational did not change the outcome, and the prayer was ruled unconstitutional. The case was decided June 24, 1962 in Warren Court. The New York City school system lost and the families of the children