First Amendment: Religion - Establishment Clause

The Establishment Clause which prohibits the government from establishing or creating a religion in any way—that’s why we don’t have an official religion in the United States.

First Amendment Religion Part I

Big Questions

Why did the Founding generation write protections for religious liberty into the First Amendment?

What is the Establishment Clause? What was the Founders’ vision for this provision of the First Amendment? And how has the Supreme Court interpreted it over time?

What are some of the most important areas of constitutional debate over religious liberty today?

Videos: Recorded Classes

First Amendment: Religion
Advanced Session

First Amendment: Religion
Introductory Session

First Amendment — Religion Class Briefing Document

First Amendment — Religion Class Worksheets

First Amendment — Religion Class Slide Deck

Lesson Plans

First Amendment – Establishment Clause Lessons

Constitution 101

Module 10: The First Amendment

Explore the Establishment Clause

Interactive Constitution

• Read the Text of the Constitution
• Read the Interpretations: Establishment Clause

Writing Rights

Historic Documents and Cases

A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom

Engel v. Vitale

Letter to the Society of Quakers (1789)

Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island (1790)

More Resources

The history and meaning of the Establishment Clause

Marci Hamilton and Michael McConnell join National Constitution Center president Jeffrey Rosen to explore the application of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause during the holiday season.

Vouchers, Prayers, and Religion in American Schools

Understanding the Supreme Court’s opinions in two recent First Amendment cases.

Supreme Court eager to decide major religion case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sent a very strong hint that it is eager, maybe even passionately so, to decide one of history’s most important cases on dealings between religion and government.

The Justices’ faith and their Religion Clause decisions

After a recent television discussion of the religion decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court in the just-ended term, a viewer wrote in asking why the news media kept referring to decisions by the “conservative majority” when they really were made by the “Catholic majority” on the court. Was the news media afraid to make the connection?