Abstract:
The motivation for this paper stemmed from a desire to study the contemporary problems in American public schools regarding religion and education in connection to the historical events that led to the inauguration of the current public school system, especially as differing from an original system established by the Puritans. Therefore, a large portion of this project entailed research into the development of laws and bills regarding schooling, the philosophies and writings of the founders of public education, court cases and rulings in respect to religion and education, and publications concerning modern-day disputes in public schools dealing with religious issues. The paper consists of the findings of my research, namely that the public school system - in favoring those who prefer secular (non-religious) education while discriminating against those who believe conversely - should not have been formed, and that the problems currently existing are needless consequences of placing schools under the control of the state. In order to accomplish this task, this paper begins by tracing the commencement of the common school as repercussion to disliked Puritan teachings and schooling. It also attempts to illuminate the folly in certain goals of public education - goals that could be more easily and ably met in environments (i.e. private schools) not restricted by national "establishment" laws, and to explain how current disagreements could have been avoided.
