Freedom of Religion, the First Amendment, and the Supreme Court: How the Court Flunked History

Adamson, Barry

ISBN 10: 1589805208 / ISBN 13: 9781589805200

Editore: Pelican Publishing, 2007

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Codice articolo S_463632872

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Freedom of Religion, the First Amendment, and the Supreme Court: How the Court Flunked History
• Editore: Pelican Publishing
• Data di pubblicazione: 2007
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 1589805208
• ISBN 13: 9781589805200
• Rilegatura: hardcover
• Condizione: Very Good

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion . . ." After hearing a speech in which the audience was queried on their knowledge of these 10 words, known as the Establishment Clause, Barry Adamson realized with embarrassment that he lacked that understanding himself. He immediately began an intense study of the First Amendment and its intended purpose. After interviewing several people about their experience with the Establishment Clause, he realized that, like him, few understood its meaning. In addition, Adamson found that most volumes written on the subject were not written for the average person, inspiring him to author an evenhanded, easy-to-read book. His intention was to provide "an objective chronicle of the historical origins of the phrase 'establishment of religion' and what our forefathers originally meant when they adopted the First Amendment."

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In colonial America, everyone knew the meaning of the terms "establishment" and "established church": an official, monopolistic governmental religion. The colonists also well knew the various negative attributes associated with the "established church," especially compelled financial support and attendance. Though some states had disestablished their churches before the American Revolution, every colonial state, except Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, had an established church at one time.

Those who had suffered most, especially the Baptists of Virginia, demanded protection from a state-run religion in the form of a Bill of Rights. Virginia refused to ratify the Constitution unless this amendment was added, and in 1789, it became the First Amendment, stating, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibit the free exercise thereof."

In 1801, the Baptists of Danbury wrote Thomas Jefferson for additional aid. The established church of Connecticut did not allow them to hold office and denied them other rights. Jefferson wrote the famous "Wall of Separation" letter in which he described "a wall of separation between church and state." The Baptists were satisfied with this explanation, understanding the amendment to serve as a wall around the government, granting complete religious freedom to them.
In contrast to the original intent of the First Amendment, as clarified by Thomas Jefferson, the United States Supreme Court, especially in the past sixty years, has been busy erecting walls around the churches and giving unfettered freedom to the government.

Adamson explains in detail how the Court flunked history and confused the true meaning of the Establishment Clause, how they seized on a phrase not even in the Constitution, and how the justices have gradually built freedom of religion into a restraint of religious liberty. The Bill of Rights was a guarantee of freedom to the citizen. The court is busy building restraints to that freedom.