History of Prayers for Schools

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History of prayers for Schools
Ladies and gentlemen,
Prayers for schools is a controversial debate that originated as early as the 18th century. Notably, Schools opened their day or classes in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries with oral prayers or bible reading. In the 19th century, a disputed debate arose between 1863 and 1879 about funding religious schools and reading King James' protestant bible in catholic schools. The partisan activists in public schools argued that exposing young public school kids to a protestant King James Bible would dilute their catholic roots and religion. This caused different case battles between the Catholics and the protestants. Catholics were against protestants' religious observations in public schools and thus presented their case in court.
In 1890, the Wisconsin supreme court in the case of Weiss v District board made a ruling favoring Catholics, who objected to the use of the protestant bible in public schools. This was after an appeal at the supreme court that concluded that bible reading constituted sectarian instruction and illegally united the functions of church and state (Seering).the ruling only applied in the state of Wisconsin. Later, Catholics were considered a powerful religion and began establishing their schools. Other religions followed and in 1949, bible reading was a customary routine in public schools. Some states embraced the act, while others argued that no specifications were given on which version of the bible was to be read.
Ladies and gentlemen, in 1955, the New York Board of Regents recommended a common prayer to be recited by district schools to fight juvenile delinquency and reduce the spread of communism( Hudson Jr. et al.). Some schools adopted the prayer, but some individuals felt that the prayer should be optional. On June 25, 1962, the supreme court ruled that prayers approved for school use by the New York Board of Regent violated the first amendment in the case of Engel V. Vitale. The First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise (The White House).
After 1962, several laws were passed that limited teachers from teaching religion or preaching in public schools following the constitution. Ladies and gentlemen, you can all imagine people's reactions after the supreme court decision. It evoked different feelings, emotions, and reactions among people. Religious leaders supporting prayers and preaching in public schools argued that the supreme court's move violated their rights and freedom to religion. On the other hand, some parents and children were relieved by the move as they felt comfortable sending their children to school where they were not forced to conform to a particular doctrine. For instance, atheist Madalyn Murray and her so...