Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon thee, and we beg thy blessings upon us,

our parents, our teachers, and our country. In 1951, the Board of Regents of New York

recommended that New York public schools open each day with this prayer. Its intention was to promote

gratitude, good behavior, and a recognition of God's

role in American life. The parents of 10 students in Long Island strongly objected, claiming that the

prayer violated their constitutional rights and the rights of their children. Were they correct?

Did the Long Island School District violate the Constitution? Specifically, did it violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which reads,

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

That was the question before the Supreme Court in the 1962 case, Engel v. Vitale.

Stephen Engel was the lead plaintiff for the parents who objected to the prayer.

William Vitale, Jr. was the president of the school district.

The two parties argued over three questions.

One, was the prayer voluntary?

The school district said it was.

No one was forced to say the prayer. A student could remain silent or be excused from class. The school district said it was. No one was forced to say the prayer. A student could

remain silent or be excused from class. The parents argued the prayer was, in effect, compulsory.

Children can't be expected to resist peer pressure or the implicit demand of the teacher to say the

prayer. Two, was it appropriate for a teacher to recite a government-composed prayer?

The school district noted that prayer was commonplace in many government settings.

The Supreme Court itself opens its sessions with the prayer,

God saved the United States and this honorable court.

The parents countered that school prayer violated the establishment clause

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