Wallace v. Jaffree - School Prayer Silent Meditation

Wallace v. Jaffree - School Prayer Silent Meditation Can public schools endorse or encourage prayer if they do so in the context of endorsing and encouraging silent meditation as well? Some Christians thought this would be a good way to smuggle official prayers back into the school day, but courts rejected their arguments and the Supreme Court found the practice unconstitutional. According to the court, such laws have a religious rather than a secular purpose, though all the justices had different opinions as to why exactly the law was invalid.​ Fast Facts: Wallace v. Jaffree Case Argued: Dec. 4, 1984Decision Issued: June 4, 1985Petitioner: George Wallace, Governor of AlabamaRespondent: Ishmael Jaffree, a parent of three students who attended school in the  Mobile County Public School SystemKey Questions: Did Alabama law violate the First Amendments Establishment Clause in endorsing or encouraging prayer in schools if it did so in the context of endorsing and encouraging silent meditation as well?Majority Decision: Justices Stevens, Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun, Powell, OConnorDissenting: Justices Rehnquist, Burger, WhiteRuling: The Supreme Court ruled that an Alabama law providing for a moment of silence was unconstitutional and that Alabamas prayer and meditation statute was not only a deviation from the states duty to maintain absolute neutrality toward religion but was an affirmative endorsement of religion, violating the First Amendment. Background Information At issue was an Alabama law requiring that each school day to  begin with a one minute period of silent meditation or voluntary prayer (the original 1978 law read-only silent meditation, but the words or voluntary prayer were added in 1981). A students parent sued to allege that this law violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment because it forced students to pray and basically exposed them to religious indoctrination. The District Court permitted the prayers to continue, but the Court of Appeals ruled that they were unconstitutional, so the state appealed to the Supreme Court. Court Decision With Justice Stevens writing the majority opinion, the Court decided 6-3 that the Alabama law providing for a moment of silence was unconstitutional. The important issue was whether the law was instituted for a religious purpose. Because the only evidence in the record indicated that the words or prayer had been added to the existing statute by amendment for the sole purpose of returning voluntary prayer to the public schools, the Court found that the first prong of the Lemon Test had been violated, i.e., that the statute was invalid as being entirely motivated by a purpose of advancing religion. In Justice OConnors concurring opinion, she refined the endorsement test which she first described in: The endorsement test does not preclude government from acknowledging religion or from taking religion into account in making law and policy. It does preclude government from conveying or attempting to convey a message that religion or a particular religious belief is favored or preferred. Such an endorsement infringes the religious liberty of the nonadherent, for [w]hen the power, prestige and financial support of government is placed behind a particular religious belief, the indirect coercive pressure upon religious minorities to conform to the prevailing officially approved religion is plain.At issue today is whether state moment of silence statutes in general, and Alabamas moment of silence statute in particular, embody an impermissible endorsement of prayer in public schools. [emphasis added] This fact was clear because Alabama already had a law that allowed school days to begin with a moment for silent meditation. The newer law was expanded the existing law by giving it a religious purpose. The Court characterized this legislative attempt to return prayer to the public schools as quite different from merely protecting every students right to engage in voluntary prayer during an appropriate moment of silence during the school day. Significance This decision emphasized the scrutiny the Supreme Court uses when evaluating the constitutionality of government actions. Rather than accept the argument that the inclusion of or voluntary prayer was a minor addition with little practical significance, the intentions of the legislature that passed it was enough to demonstrate its unconstitutionality. One important aspect to this case is that the authors of the majority opinion, two concurring opinions, and all three dissents agreed that a minute of silence at the beginning of each school day would be acceptable. Justice OConnors concurring opinion is notable for its effort to synthesize and refine the Courts Establishment and Free Exercise tests (see also Justices concurring opinion in ). It was here that she first articulated her reasonable observer test: The relevant issue is whether an objective observer, acquainted with the text, legislative history, and implementation of the statute, would perceive it is a state endorsement... Also notable is Justice Rehnquists dissent for its effort to redirect Establishment Clause analysis by abandoning the tripartite test, discarding any requirement that government is neutral between religion and irreligion, and confining the scope to a prohibition on establishing a national church or otherwise favoring one religious group over another. Many conservative Christians today insist that the First Amendment only prohibits the establishment of a national church and Rehnquist clearly bought into that propaganda, but the rest of the court disagreed.

Study Schedule for a Test Six Days Away

Study Schedule for a Test Six Days Away Your test is coming up in six days, and thankfully, youre ahead of the game because for you, cramming for a test is a huge no-no.  By giving yourself six days to prepare, youve done yourself a big favor. Not only have you reduced the amount of study time needed per session, but you have also given yourself enough time to be perfectly prepped for your test. Great news, huh? Heres a study schedule to help you prepare for a test thats six days away. Have less time? Check out the study schedules below for fewer days. Study Schedule Day 1: Ask and Read In School: Ask your teacher what type of test it will be. Multiple choice? Essay? Thatll make a difference in how you prepare.Ask your teacher for a review sheet if he/she hasnt already given you one. (i.e. test content)Get a study partner set up for the night before the test if possible – even via phone/facebook/Skype.Take home your review sheet and textbook. At Home: Eat some brain food.Read your review sheet, so you know whats going to be on the test.Reread the chapters in the textbook that will be on the test.Thats it for day one! Study Schedule Day 2: Organize and Make Flashcards: In School: Pay attention in class – your teacher may be going over things that will be on the test!Take home your handouts, assignments, and former quizzes along with your textbook and review sheet. At Home: Organize your notes. Rewrite or type them up so theyre legible. Organize your handouts according to dates. Make note of anything youre missing. (Wheres the vocab quiz from chapter 2?)Go through your review sheet, finding the answers for every question on there from your notes, handouts, textbook, etc.Make flashcards with a question/term/vocab word on the front of the card, and the answer on the back. When youre finished, put your flashcards in your backpack so you can study throughout the day tomorrow.Stay focused! Study Schedule Day 3: Memorize In School: Throughout the day, pull your flashcards out and ask yourself questions (when youre waiting for class to start, at lunch, during study hall, etc.)Clarify anything you didnt totally understand with your teacher. Ask for missing items (that vocab quiz from chapter 2).Ask if there will be a review before the test later this week. At Home: Set a timer for 45 minutes, and memorize everything on the review sheet that you dont already know using mnemonic devices like acronyms or singing a song. Stop after 45 minutes and move on to other homework. You have three more days to study for this bad boy!Put your flashcards in your backpack for more review tomorrow. Study Schedule Day 4: Memorize Some More In School: Again, pull your flashcards out and ask yourself questions throughout the day. At Home: Set a timer for 45 minutes again. Go back through your flashcards and review sheet, memorizing anything you dont have down pat. Stop after 45 minutes. Youre done for the day!Put your flashcards in your backpack for review again tomorrow. Study Schedule Day 5: Finalizing memory In School: Throughout the day, pull your flashcards out and ask yourself questions again.Confirm study date with a friend for tomorrow evening. At Home: Set your timer for 45 minutes and run through your flashcards and review sheet. Take a 5-minute break. Repeat the process until your content knowledge is better than your teachers. Study Schedule Day 6: Review and Quiz In School: If your teacher is having an exam review today, pay close attention and write down anything you havent learned yet. If the teacher mentions it today – its on the test, guaranteed! At Home: Ten-twenty minutes before your study partner (or mom) shows up to quiz you for the exam, review your flashcards. Make sure you have everything down pat.Quiz. When your study partner arrives, take turns asking possible exam questions to each other. Make sure each of you has a turn asking and answering because youll learn the material best by doing both. Stop once youve been through the questions a few times and get a good nights sleep.

Vincent Willem van Gogh Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Vincent Willem van Gogh - Essay Example The essay "Vincent Willem van Gogh" discovers the famous artist, Vincent Willem van Gogh. The name Vincent was a common name in the van Gogh family: his grandfather who was very learned was also called Vincent and he studied theology in the University of Leiden in the year 1811. His grandfather had six sons, three of whom were talented in the arts where they became leaders. The van Gough family was talented in the Arts and Religion. Vincent had two brothers Theodorus and Cor, and he also had two three sisters, namely Elisabeth, Anna and Willemina. It is said that as a child Vincent was silent, thoughtful and serious traits that saw him through the zundert village school from around 1860, history shows that a single catholic teacher taught approximately two hundred pupils this later changed in the year 1861 when he and his sister were home taught by a governess until 1864 when van Gogh was sent to a boarding school. Jan Provily’s boarding school was located at Zevenbergen about 32km away. Later as an adult Vincent disclosed that he was distressed on leaving his family. It was not until he went to the Willem 2 college in Tilburg that he met Constantijin C Huysmans, a renowned successful artist in Paris that he was taught to draw, but it is to be noted that his interest in art had began at an early age. As a child he used to draw throughout the years that made him come to the conclusion that he wanted to be an artist. His early drawings are expressive and well done but do not have the intensity.