From the beginning of schools in America, students prayed.
A prayer prayed in the public schools in New Hyde Park, New York, was: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen."
Five individuals intolerant of prayer brought a lawsuit, and Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black issued his opinion in Engle v. Vitale, 1962, prohibiting prayer in public schools.
Hugo Black was a Democrat Senator from Alabama who had never been a judge until Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to the Supreme Court.
President Ronald Reagan commented on March 6, 1984, regarding Justice Hugo Black's opinion: "From the early days of the American colonies, prayer in schools was practiced and revered as an important tradition. Indeed, for nearly 2 centuries of our history it was considered a natural expression of our religious freedom. Then in 1962, the Supreme Court declared school prayer illegal. Well, I firmly believe the loving God who has blessed our land and made us a good caring people should never have been expelled from America's classrooms."
A prayer prayed in the public schools in New Hyde Park, New York, was: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen."
Five individuals intolerant of prayer brought a lawsuit, and Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black issued his opinion in Engle v. Vitale, 1962, prohibiting prayer in public schools.
Hugo Black was a Democrat Senator from Alabama who had never been a judge until Democrat President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to the Supreme Court.
President Ronald Reagan commented on March 6, 1984, regarding Justice Hugo Black's opinion: "From the early days of the American colonies, prayer in schools was practiced and revered as an important tradition. Indeed, for nearly 2 centuries of our history it was considered a natural expression of our religious freedom. Then in 1962, the Supreme Court declared school prayer illegal. Well, I firmly believe the loving God who has blessed our land and made us a good caring people should never have been expelled from America's classrooms."