The Bible, the School, and the Constitution: The Clash that Shaped Modern Church-State Doctrine

by Steven K. Green

Overview

Steven K. Green tells the story of the nineteenth-century School Question, the nationwide debate over the place and funding of religious education, and how it became a crucial precedent for American thought about the separation of church and state.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199913459
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Steven K. Green is Frank H. Paulus Professor of Law and Adjunct Professor of History at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he directs the interdisciplinary Center for Religion, Law and Democracy.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. The Rise of Nonsectarian Public Education
2. The Development of the ''No-Funding Principle''
3. The Cincinnati ''Bible War'' of 1869-1873
4. ''The Amendmentists''
5. The Blaine Amendment
Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"This is a long overdue history of the origins of secular public education. Green's carefully researched discussion of the relationship between separation of church and state and public education is a powerful answer to scholars and jurists who have made ideologically-based and historically shaky arguments in favor of state supported religious exercise in the public schools. Green's work reminds us of the importance of Jefferson's notion of a 'wall of separation' between the state and religion." —Paul Finkelman, President William McKinley Professor of Law and Public Policy, Albany Law School

"Steven K. Green has been a leading thinker in the group of legal historians, and his recent book is the most authoritative legal history of nineteenth-century church-state-school relations to date. Green's accomplishment is impressive. In accessible and engaging prose he lays out a rich, thorough case that is well grounded in political and legal history... an outstanding contribution to our understanding of religion and public education." —The Journal of American History

"Steven K. Green has rapidly emerged as the leading historian of nineteenth-century church-state relations in America. Here he shows, in bold and brilliant colors, how the soaring debates over religion and education in the aftermath of the Civil War still shape our law and culture today, for better and worse. Deeply researched, smoothly written, and highly original, this book is a must-read for anyone who values religious liberty." —John Witte, Jr., Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Emory University

"The Bible, the School, and the Constitution is an essential reinterpretation of the 'School Question' and its implications for church-state jurisprudence in American history. Repudiating recent accounts that attribute the emergence of 'secular' norms to anti-Catholic animus, Steven K. Green identifies a far more diverse set of motivations that converged to restrict religious practices in public schools along with public funding for religiously affiliated schools. In the process, Green implicitly defends these norms as constitutionally sound solutions for a diverse society." —Tisa Wenger, author of We Have a Religion: The 1920s Pueblo Indian Dance Controversy and American Religious Freedom

"Green reminds readers that modern Supreme Court rulings were not products of sudden secularizing trends in the 20th century, but rather were grounded in a more than century-long debate over the separation of church and state. Highly recommended."—CHOICE

"An impressive accomplishment."—Journal of Church and State

"Incisive and accessible... enlightening for scholars and graduate students alike."—Church History

From the Publisher