Should the Children Pray?
A Historical, Judicial, and Political Examination of Public School Prayer

The author traces the history of public school prayer in America and the legal debates since the 1962 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed the practice. The book thus makes available the historical and legal information from which readers can draw their own conclusions about this sensitive issue.

Introduction

1. European Religious Heritage
2. Colonization
3. Massachusetts
4. Rhode Island
5. Pennsylvania
6. Maryland
7. Virginia
8. Georgia
9. The Great Awakening
10. The American Revolution
11. Religious Freedom in Virginia
12. The first Amendment
13. Diversity
14. Implementation
15. The United States Supreme Court
16. Interpreting the First Amendment
17. The School Prayer Case: Engel v. Vitale
18. The Bible Reading Cases
19. Senate Debates: The Personal Side
20. Senate Debates: The Arguments
21. Equal Access Legislation
22. The Silent Prayer Case
23. Conclusion