Religious Expression and the American Constitution

by Franklyn S. Haiman

Overview

First Amendment rights have been among the most fiercely debated topics in the aftermath of 9/11. In the current environment and fervor for “homeland security,” personal freedoms in exchange for security are coming under more scrutiny. Among these guaranteed freedoms are the protection of religious expression given by the U.S. Constitution and the constitutional prohibitions against behaviors that violate the separation of church and state. The mandate that the government “shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” is a general principle that has guided American courts in interpreting the original intent of the First Amendment. In Religious Expression and the American Constitution, Haiman focuses on the current state of American law with respect to a broad range of controversial issues affecting religious expression, both verbal and nonverbal, along with a review of the recent history of each issue to provide a full understanding.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870136917
Publisher:	Michigan State University Press
Publication date:	10/31/2003
Series:	Rhetoric & Public Affairs
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Franklyn S. Haiman is John Evans Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at Northwestern University and an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco. His book Speech and Law in a Free Society received a Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association and a Golden Anniversary Award from the National Communication Association.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
Chapter 1	Historical Background	1
Chapter 2	Understanding the First Amendment	11
Chapter 3	Religious Expression in Public Places	25
Chapter 4	Religious Expression in Public Schools	43
Chapter 5	Public Funding of Religious Schools	69
Chapter 6	Historical Issues of Religious Expression versus Competing Social Interests	89
Chapter 7	Current Issues of Religious Expression versus Competing Social Interests	109
Chapter 8	Religious Expression and Political Life	127
Appendix 1	Roger Williams's Bloudy Tenent of Persecution	141
Appendix 2	The General Laws and Liberties of the Massachusetts Colony	143
Appendix 3	Maryland Act Concerning Religion	145
Appendix 4	John Locke's Letter Concerning Toleration	149
Appendix 5	Jefferson's Notes on Virginia	159
Appendix 6	James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments	161
Appendix 7	Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom	167
Appendix 8	Thomas Jefferson's Reply to the Danbury Baptist Association	169
Appendix 9	Engel v Vitale	171