View/Download PDF
The Roots and Branches of Religious Liberty_The Influence of Religious Liberty_LP 5
Sandy Cook
The Roots and Branches of Religious Liberty_Cook
This lesson seeks to reveal the influence of religion within our society today. Included are documents, such as Thomas Jefferson’s epitaph and Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have A Dream” speech that reveal the depth of feelings, goals, and accomplishments regarding religious liberty. The charts, statistics, survey, and quiz are items that could easily be pulled as stand alone activities to show influence and importance of religion. The court cases listed are some among many that deal with both clauses of religious liberty whose rulings have greatly influenced education and thus, society.
There are several quotations and excerpts within this lesson that can also be pulled to use as character development opportunities such as excerpts from Frederick Douglass, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Abraham Lincoln.
Document excerpts:
DEBATES ON THE CONSTITUTION PART TWO. New York: Library of America, 1993. (907)
Benjamin Franklin, WRITINGS. New York" Library of America, 1987. (975)
Thomas Jefferson, WRITINGS. New York" Library of America, 1984. (702)
Alexis Tocqueville, DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA. New York: Library of America, 2004. (340)
Frederick Douglass. AUTOBIOGRAPHIES. New York" Library of America, 1994. (231)
Abraham Lincoln, SPEECHES AND WRITINGS. New York" Library of America, 1989. (140)
"History Portrays LaGrange as cultural crossroads" by F. C. Johnson III
(LaGrange Daily News July 18, 1999)
"Religion plays huge role in Troup County's history" by F. C. Johnson III
(LaGrange Daily News June 20, 1999)
Poster paper and markers
Computers (if available)
1-2 90 minute block(s)
5
How has religious liberty impacted various aspects of society through the years?
Computer Activity: Have students go to web site pbs.org/now/quiz/quiz2.html and take the 7 question quiz on religious liberty. If computers are not available, teacher should create a short "quiz" over religious liberty which would include opinion questions providing a lead-in for class discussion. An advantage of this website is that it provides explanations for answers. Discuss.
Carousel Brainstorming: Post 5 large sheets of paper around the room or out in the hall, if available. On the top of these sheets put: Civil Rights, Slavery, Politics, Society, and Education. Divide students into five groups, placing one group at each poster and giving each group one different color marker. Students should write how religious liberty has impacted each of the topics. Instruct students that each group will have one minute at each poster and then will move clockwise to the next poster to do the same thing. Brainstorming stops when each group has visited each poster and has returned to the first poster on which the group posted comments. Ask one person from each group to present the poster to class and read the items listed. Discuss as a class.
Whole Class:
Document A: Read the excerpt and utilize the discussion starter.
Small Groups (5 students in each group):Document Set B and *Computer Research Activity: How has America been influenced by religious liberty?
Take five sheets of paper and on the top of each put one of the following: Civil Rights, Slavery, Politics, Education, Society in General. Each student should be responsible for one topic and for recording influences from each document on his/her sheet of paper. As students read the documents, they should discuss how the five aspects of American society have been influenced (positively or negatively) by religious liberty. Individual students are responsible for recording responses on his/her assigned topic/poster.
(Note: The first paragraph in Thomas Jefferson's "A Memorandum" is a great discussion starter for any unit regarding great men/women and accomplishments: Does history make the man (woman) or does the man (woman) make history?")*Computer Research: (this research provides more of the influence of religious liberty on education)
Provide list of court cases that have impacted education for students to research. They should include: issue, both sides, ruling, and impact. Make presentation to the class using visual such as posters to illustrate findings.
Local Interest for Troup County :Document Set C: (Teacher will need to access these articles through the LaGrange Daily News website.):
"History Portrays LaGrange as cultural crossroads" by F. C. Johnson III
LaGrange Daily News Sunday, July 18, 1999
"Religion plays huge rule in Troup County 's history" by F. C. Johnson III
LaGrange Daily News Sunday, June 20, 1999
Answer questions at the end of each article.
Use chart of religions in colonial (Lesson #3) to compare/contrast with Troup County today.
Computer Activity:
Have students go to web site pbs.org/now/society/faithstats.html and read the article concerning the July, 2003 survey conducted among Americans. Students should record statistics on topics such as: gay marriage, views toward Muslims, foreign affairs, President Bush, and health insurance. (Notes are provided in handout section for teacher.)
Groups: Students should compile information onto a large poster that will show some of the statistics gathered. Discuss the role religion and religious liberty plays in American society.
Write a poem about religious liberty in the United States. (Students could include such items as: religious liberty clauses, arguments for and against a listing of personal rights, freedom of conscience, 4-5 areas that are affected by religious liberty, etc.) Utilize a teacher-prepared rubric to check poetry for content.
Groups or individually:
SUPPLEMENTAL NOTES
Adherents.com is a great source for statistics on religion worldwide
COMPUTER RESEARCH: SELECTED COURT CASES RELATING TO EDUCATION
Everson vs. Board of Education, 1947
Engel vs. Vitale, 1962
Madelyn Murray O’Hare Case, 1962
Abington School District vs. Schempp, 1963
Sherbert vs. Verner, 1963
Lemon vs. Kurtzman, 1971
Wisconsin vs. Yoder, 1972
Meek vs. Pittenger, 1975
Wallace vs. Jaffree, 1985
None