The Impact of the Separation of Church and State on Education

The United States of America was founded on the basis of religious freedom. Its school systems were centered on religious education. Theology was weaved into every song, every thought, and every act of Americans. The idea and belief of God was everywhere. When the Separation of Church and State was put into place as a result of the First Amendment of the Constitution in 1791, the correlation between God and the good of humanity was suddenly obliterated.

The public education system felt the greatest impact from this change. God was slowly taken out of the classroom, sporting events, and graduation ceremonies. Yet over two hundred years after the law was established, there is still conflict and confusion about what the First Amendment implies. The entities of Church and State have not been fully separated and this has affected those in the teaching profession through curriculum, scheduling, and teacher-student relationships.

Religion: The Foundation of Education

The public education system in America was established so that children could obtain an education to not only learn reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also religion. Students learned how to read by reading the Bible as well as memorize various selections from it. The Massachusetts Act of 1647 was set into place to rule that the public schools were to teach Scripture-literate young men and women (Kauchak, 2005). Religion was the foundation where children would learn right from wrong and how to be good citizens.

The controversy over religion may have risen throughout the years in the primary schools, but that did not hinder the establishment of colleges that centralized on religion. All current Ivy League schools were once created as seminaries. Colleges like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton only trained students who were going to be missionaries or pastors. The main focus of these schools was teaching religion and training others to do the same.

The Separation of Church and State