The Church-State Debate: Religion, Education and the Establishment Clause in Post War America

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Description

The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment governs the relationship between the institutions of the church and those of the state; the Supreme Court, as arbiter of the Constitution, has, since 1947, sought to determine where the line between the two should be drawn. This book shows how and why the Court drew the line in particular cases and how and why the lines that were drawn by the Court had an impact on the relationship between institutions of government and the Church, shaping US politics and society. Using the Supreme Court's cases as a framework, the book shows how the constitutional underpinnings of church-state debates shaped the political, economic, and social debate on the issue, and explores broader debates about religion and American society. This book maintains that the Court cases cannot be understood separately from the context from which they arose and that legal factors are only part of a broader picture for a historical understanding of the Court and Establishment Clause cases.

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Long...effectively organizes her analysis by organizing it into three parts: 'School Aid,' 'School Prayer,' and 'Equal Access Importantly, Long's analysis throughout includes coverage of the historical and cultural contexts of the court decisions. Thereby, she provides readers with a more robust understanding of the decisions than legal theorists or political commentators with axes to grind typically offer. Although not designed for the masses, this book will prove valuable for anyone doing scholarship on the First Amendment, the Supreme Court, or the history of 20th-century US educational policy. -- J.R. Edwards, Grove City College * CHOICE *

Author Bio

Emma Long is Lecturer in American History at the University of Kent, UK.