Engel vs. vitale1962

Yao Adantor

Prayer

“ Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen.”

Historical background

After World War II, the United States experienced another period of intense concern about the spread of communism .

In this context, some States enacted a variety of programs to encourage patriotism, moral character, and other values of good citizenship.

They also began challenging separation of church and state issues in hopes of providing students with strong moral and spiritual stamina.

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So what really happened?In 1951 the New York State Board of

Regents (the State board of education) approved a 22-word “nondenominational prayer.

The Regents believed that the prayer could be a useful tool for the development of character and good citizenship among the students of the State of New York.

Continue…….

A group of parents in a public school located in New Hyde Park district 9, New York opposed the opening prayer of a school day .

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Arguments by the plaintiff1)The prayer violates the doctrine of

separation of church and state.

2)The prayer was technically voluntary but didn’t seem like it.( Peer Pressure )

3)Reflects religious abuse (book of prayer) of the 16th and 17th century that drove the puritans to a new land.

4)Teachers are being paid by taxpayers therefore by abiding to this laws they are violating the 1st amendment.

Defense use by the Hyde Park school board

1)The prayer was not a religious instruction but it was religious in nature.

2) Prayers are rich important American spiritual heritage.

3) 29 out of 4500 students excused themselves from the prayer showing the prayer was well received.

4) A 30 second prayer is hardly enough time to make a great deal to anyone.

Continue..

5) The prayer does not point out to a particular religion ..the word are accepted universally.

6) It was a moral attempt to counteract juvenile delinquency .

Ruling

Monday, June 25, 1962

Decision: 6 votes for Engel, 1 vote (s) against Legal Provision: Establishment of Religion

Full Opinion by Justice Hugo L. Black

The effect of Angel vs. Vitale

After the ban of the prayer SAT scores dropped by 98 points.

The murder rate has tripled in the U.S since the decision.

4 out 5 Americans want spoken prayers in school.

Violent crimes and drug use shot up. Private school in which prayer are allowed

produced better students.

I'm the judge now

In such a particular case I will rule in favor of the plaintiff for several reasons:

1) The prayer technically violates the first amendment of separation of church and state.

2) Saying the school prayer even though 30 second ,its like a subliminal message to corrupt others religion.

3) It will start from prayers and then escalade to churches before school.

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i do not feel obliged to believe that same God who endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect had intended for us to forgo their use. [Galileo Galilee]

In conclusion

“The separation of church and state is vital to a nation’s good health in the matter of unbiased judgment. therefore our good sense must guide our spirit to justice and prosperity”

- Yao Adantor

Bibliography

Hass, Carol. Engel v. Vitale. New Jersey: ENSLOW PUBLISHERS, INC, 1994.

“Engel v. vitale Ask the Editors. Infoplease. © 2000–2007 Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.03 Mar. 2009 <http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/3-26-99askeds.html>.

The Oyez Project, Engel v. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962),available at: <http://www.oyez.org/cases/1960-1969/1961/1961_468/>

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