The V. Board Of Education

Sixty-two years ago, the Supreme Court ruled the “separate but equal” doctrine unconstitutional. The decision from the Plessy v. Ferguson case was lawfully denounced by the Brown v. Board of Education. The Brown case, which was initiated by the members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), served as a stimulus for challenging segregation in all areas of society, especially in public educational institutions. Among the support for the desegregation in school systems, there was a young yet compelling voice who was heard by numerous ears in the rural city in Farmville, Alabama. The virtuous and determined Barbara Johns, who was only a high school student then led her tiny, hovel-like school’s student body and the Farmville community to file a lawsuit in the hope of terminating the inequality in regards to the educational system.

When discussing the intertwining of church and state; soul liberty and freedom from religious belief, we must recognize that freedom and faith were at one point complementary ideas. Faith was once the foundation for freedom and vice versa. The Declaration of Independence clearly states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights." With these words from the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers set up their vision of what this country would come to be. Among those rights, which are deemed “inalienable”, is the right of religious liberty. (Neumann, 1990: p. 241)

Brown v. the Board of Education was a case that helped shaped America’s education system into what it is today. ‘Separate but equal’ is phrase well attributed to the civil rights movement in all aspects of life: water fountains, movie theaters, restaurants, bathrooms, schools, and much more. This phrase was coined legal in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. Plessy v. Ferguson said that racial segregation of public facilities was legal so long as they were ‘equal.’ Before this even, Black Codes, passed in 1865 under President Johnson legalized the segregation of public facilities including schools. In 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified guaranteeing all citizens equal protection under the law. Still, though, blacks were not given equal opportunities when it came to voting, schooling and many other inherent rights. 1875 brought the Civil Rights Act that prohibited the discrimination in places of public accommodation. These places of public accommodation did not seem to include educational facilities. Jim Crow Laws become widespread in 1887, legalizing racial separation. These downfalls were paused by development of the Nation Association for the Advancement of Colored People that was founded in 1909. This association began to fight the discriminatory policies plaguing the country, especially in the southern areas. Finally Brown v. the Board of Education fought these decisions, stating that ‘separate but equal’ and discrimination allowed by the latter decisions did not have a

Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark case that was decided by the Supreme Court of America in 1954. It is a case that is believed to have brought to an end decades of increasing racial segregation that was experienced in America’s public schools. The landmark decision of this case was resolved from six separate cases that originated from four states. The Supreme Court is believed to have preferred rearguments in the case because of its preference for presentation of briefs. The briefs were to be heard from both sides of the case, with the focus being on five fundamental questions. The questions focused on the attorneys’ opinions about whether Congress viewed segregation in public schools when it ratified the 14th amendment (Benoit, 2013). Changes were then made to the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

Because of a brave young girl and her father being bold enough to stand up for their rights by trying to apply the 14th Amendment this was all possible. “Linda Brown was born on February 20, 1942, in Topeka, Kansas. Because she was forced to travel a significant distance to elementary school due to racial segregation, her father was one of the plaintiffs in the case of Brown v. Board of Education, with the Supreme Court ruling in 1954 that school segregation was unlawful”("Linda Brown Biography," ). She was 8 years old at the time when all of this happened. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) worked along side with her and her father to seek justice for this case. People of color’s thoughts and feeling

Mo Hock Ke Lok Po v. Stainback (1944) was another court case that gave parents the right to have their children taught in a foreign language. This was a significant victory because it implied that parents had a voice in regards to the education their children were to receive.

The Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case is a well-known case that went to the Incomparable Court for racial reasons with the leading body of training. The case was really the name given to five separate cases that were heard by the U.S. Preeminent Court concerning the issue of isolation in state funded schools. These cases were Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Briggs v. Elliot, Davis v. Board of Education of Prince Edward County (VA.), Boiling v. Sharpe, and Gebhart v. Ethel Every case is distinctive; the principle issue in each was the lawfulness of state-supported isolation in government funded schools (Delinder, 2004).

Thomas Jefferson fought for separation of church and state, in Virginia. Jefferson fought so strongly for this because under British anarchy, they were persecuted for their religion. This document brought conflict with Jefferson and the Anglican Church, as the Anglican Church believed that Church and State should be one. The idea of Freedom of Religion carries into our government. President’s can swear in with a Bible during oath, though the book may differ on religion. The separation between church and state was one of the most important policies in the United States Constitution and was inputted in the first amendment. In the 1st Aamendment it states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. The Virginia Statute For Religious Freedom has ensured Americans’ freedom to express whichever religion they choose, and it is a main part of why The United States of America is so

In the U.S Constitution the word religion has not been defined. Therefore, there can be many different religions in the U.S. The U.S government somewhat accommodates the many different religions to a certain extent. Also, there should be a separation of church and state.

The United States of America was founded on the basis of religious freedom. Judgment on the legality of the Separation of Church and State should not be based on one’s religion. The phrase “Separation of church and state” sometimes known as “wall of separation between church and state”, is a phrase used by Thomas Jefferson in understanding the two clauses of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States: Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The public education system felt the greatest impact as a result of the First Amendment of the Constitution in 1791, when the connection between God and the good of civilization was destroyed. God is slowly being taken of classrooms, ceremonies and even sporting events. The entities of Church and State have not been separated, but it does affect many. When debating the subject, it should not matter what religion you are, but how people’s rights are affected. Since the beginning of time, there have been multiple Supreme Court cases in which people, schools or organizations are going after the right to ban religious affairs in such settings where it should not be exposed, such as public schools. The public education system was established so that children can obtain a good education, whether it is in mathematics, English, science or even religion. The United States is all about embracing diversity, expressing freedom and believing in our own values beyond religious values.

Religion should not be the deciding vote in government situations. The Separation of Church and State gives freedom for the first amendment. The first amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Having Prayer or a moment of silence in schools and before sporting events can cause discomfort to others. Religion should be separate from the government because there are many different religions, beliefs and conflicts. because Handling business because God told you to do it this way may not be fair to others who believe differently than you., The government should be neutral and not be swayed by one or more persons religious beliefs. , and if Religion is separate from the government it reduces the potential for violence.

The United States of America has its history written in religion. Religion and government are important topics in almost every citizen’s daily life. The act of extrication religion and politics has been a complicated topic for many years. Because the United States of America has so many roots in religion, many political figures prey on the religious beliefs in their civil duties as a public servant. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, “Throughout the nation’s history, political and social movements- from abortion to women’s suffrage to civil rights- have drawn upon religious institutions for moral authority, inspirational leadership and organizational muscle.” The United States has a long standing tradition of separating church and state but almost all politicians run on a campaign that encompasses many religious ideals. According to Pew recent elections more than ever have had religion deeply woven into the fabrics of politics. Religion has found its way into almost all of the fabrics of our lives and has been leaking its way into one thing that was originally supposed to be kept separate. This controversy even dates back to twenty- three B.C and can be found deep in the roots of the Roman Empire, can be found in the constitution, but for America to be a “Land of the Free”, the practice of church and state intermingling must stop.

Separation of church and state is a defined as, the understanding of the intent, and function of the Establishment Clause, and Free Exercise Clause. The Combination of church and state has been a topic that, many generations have struggled with for centuries. The first amendment of the constitution states that “Congress shall make no law about our religious beliefs, or prohibiting our free exercise of religion” If we put our faith in the constitution to define the founding father’s standpoint of separation of church and state, then we have definitely misinterpreted their stance on religion. Many people believe the reference to separation of church and state is in the original constitution, but the truth is, the references, often conceptualized and misinterpreted as intertwining with our religious freedom, but that is not the truth.

My well intended (I say that in attempt to delude myself into believing that their arguments presented are not in any self serving intent.) opponents would have you believe that our country was intended to be a non-secular entity and that if our government was truly “of the people, for the people, by the people” that its laws would be reflective of Christianity as the majority of the American citizenry proclaim a Christian affiliation. This my friends is a falsehood, in fact our founding fathers were more than aware of the implications for the future that this great experiment posed and included safeguards in attempt to prevent the abusive relationship that tends to develop when government policy is tempered with religion, a very wise and brave act considering the fact that many of them were in fact people who attended church and worshipped God. These measurements were so important to them that they outweighed any feelings of contradiction with their personal beliefs. It is not coincidental that nowhere in the constitution is religion mentioned except in exclusionary terms.

Today, we have so many different religious beliefs that it is hard to keep track of them. We try to accommodate one religion without offending the other and it seems impossible to do. The question begs to be asked, “How much of the government should be in religious decisions?” Over the last five or six decades, many important decisions have been handed down from the Supreme Court concerning religious practices and beliefs. Some of the most notable decisions would be the case of Engel v. Vitale in 1962. This case concluded that public schools could no longer hold a prayer to start the day out. Justice Hugo Black stated, “It is a matter of history that this very practice of establishing governmentally composed prayers for religious services was one of the reasons which caused many of our early colonists to leave England and seek religious freedom in America. ... Neither the fact that the prayer may be denominationally neutral nor the fact that its observance on the part of the students is voluntary can serve to free it from the limitations of the Establishment Clause ...” (Longley). In this case, the courts outlined the position of church and state by saying that public schools, which are supported by federal funding, could not support a religion. In 1971, another case was decided that gave the courts a three-pronged test for determination of religious practices. This