Document Type
Issue Area Four
Abstract
The primary law that affects church-state issues is the First Amendment to the Constitution. It reads: ''Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion (the first or establishment clause) or prohibiting the free exercise thereof (the second or free exercise clause)."
This constitutional statement clearly states the intent of our early American fathers to keep government and religion separate. James Madison wrote the purpose of separation of Church and State is to "keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." The blood still flows "over there." Most recent examples are Ireland and Bosnia. The principle of a wall of separation has largely protected the United States from those blood baths and fulfilled the dreams of James Madison and Thomas Jefferson.
Journal Title
Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series
Volume
5
Issue
2
First Page
174
Last Page
177
Publisher
Institute for Educational Leadership, University of Northern Iowa
City
Cedar Falls, IA
Copyright
©1994 Institute for Educational Leadership, College of Education, and the University of Northern Iowa
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Hartman, Carl
(1994)
"Church-State Separation: The Legal Issues that Impact Public Schools,"
Institute for Educational Leadership Monograph Series: Vol. 5:
No.
2, Article 41.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/iel_monographs/vol5/iss2/41
