First Amendment Basics
This amendment protects freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights.
What is the 1st Amendment?
Many people who came to the American colonies hoped to gain this freedom.
What is the freedom to practice their religion?
This clause begins, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”
What is the Establishment Clause?
In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that a statesponsored, voluntary, nondenominational prayer in public schools violated the Establishment Clause.
What is Engel v. Vitale?
A law or government action must have this kind of purpose: nonreligious.
What is a secular purpose?
These are the two religion clauses in the First Amendment.
What are the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause?
In 17th-century Europe, Puritans experienced this treatment because of their religious beliefs.
What is religious persecution?
The United States government cannot create this or show preference for one religion.
What is an official national religion?
In this case, the Supreme Court struck down Hialeah ordinances that targeted Santeria religious animal sacrifice.
What is Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah?
Under this prong, government action must neither advance nor inhibit religion.
What is neutrality?
This clause says Congress cannot prohibit the free practice of religion.
What is the Free Exercise Clause?
This Virginian wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which included protections for religious freedom.
Who is George Mason?
This type of court case asks whether government support for religious schools is constitutional.
What is a case about government funding for private religious schools?
This case ended a program of state financial aid for a religious school and led to a court test named after it.
What is Lemon v. Kurtzman?
Under this prong, government must avoid excessive involvement or unnecessary ties with religion.
What is avoiding excessive government entanglement?
In the First Amendment, “exercise of religion” refers to these two aspects of faith.
What are beliefs and practices?
This Virginian was the primary author of the Bill of Rights, which includes the First Amendment.
Who is James Madison?
Public-school prayer and religious displays on government property are examples of issues considered under this clause.
What is the Establishment Clause?
In this case, a challenge involved student-led prayer at a public high school football game.
What is Santa Fe School District v. Doe?
These are the three elements courts examined under the Lemon Test.
What are secular purpose, neutrality, and avoiding excessive government entanglement?
Together, the two religion clauses help define this relationship in the United States.
What is the relationship between religion and government?
Article VI of the Constitution bars this requirement for holding a federal public office.
What is a religious test?
This is the general rule the Establishment Clause sets for government toward religion.
What is that government may not establish, promote, or favor a religion?
The Supreme Court held that Hialeah’s ordinances violated this First Amendment protection because they singled out Santeria.
What is the Free Exercise Clause?
This case concerning student-led prayer at football games applied the Lemon Test to consider whether the prayer was secular, neutral, and not excessively entangled with government.
What is Santa Fe School District v. Doe?