American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > The Changing Role of Religion in US Education

The Changing Role of Religion in US Education

Details

Author
Marilyn Burke
Topic/Subject Area
Education, Literacy; Religion, Church, Meetings & Revivals
Historical Era
Colonial settlement, 1620–1762, National Expansion and Reform, 1816–1860, Rise of Industrial America, 1878–1899, Progressive Era, World War I, 1900–1928, Counterculture, Civil Rights, and Cold War, 1946–1989, New Millennium, 1990–Present
Grade Level
High School (9–12)
Creation Date
2012
Last Revision Date
2024

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About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will learn that unlike modern times, religious instruction was once not only the responsibility of the church but a civic responsibility as well.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items
Websites

Teaching Plan

  1. Religious education of children in colonial times is presented. See the websites in the Materials & Resources section. Refer also to the New England Primer in the online collection.
  2. A short lecture is given showing the specific religious teaching (Anglican/Calvinist) that was predominant in the colonies and early days of the nation. Students will read Articles of Faith of William Stoddard Williams in the online collection. What were the main points of religious belief in this statement?
  3. Homework Essay: This assignment involves making a list of the churches/places of worship in the students’ hometown. The list should include information that enables the students to see how many different faiths or beliefs are represented in their town.
  4. Reading the “Abstract of the Massachusetts School Returns for 1838-9” by Horace Mann (pp. 155, 195, 216), discuss the fact that even though Mann, called the “Father of American Education”, was against church doctrine being taught in schools, he assumed that teaching and modeling ethical behavior meant using Christianity as a guide. Note the inclusion of the Bible as a textbook in the classroom.
  5. Divide the class into three sections. The task of Section I is to make a list of five important “ethical behaviors”. The task of Section II is to make a list of five “religious teachings” they may have learned. The task of Section III is to make a list of five “responsibilities of a good citizen”. Bring the groups together to see how many of these characteristics are common to all. The point of this exercise is to show that it is possible to teach the qualities noted by Horace Mann’s “Abstract” in a secular context.
  6. Using online sources – if possible in the school library – the students will contrast the Abolitionist movement before and during the Civil War with the Social Gospel movement of the Progressive Era. Ask students how these philosophies would have found a place in the classrooms of the times.
  7. Using the Pledge of Allegiance article listed in the Materials & Resources section or other resources, students will trace the changes in the Pledge of Allegiance from its beginning to today. Then they will find information on the internet about the 1962 Engel vs. Vitale Supreme Court decision (school prayer). Ask students to contrast the two.
  8. After discussing the 1995 Department of Education guidelines regarding religion in the school, assign a homework essay on the subject: “How has education in the US evolved regarding religious instruction?”