The First Amendment
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lic policy that because ‘‘Religion, morality, and knowledge, [are] necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the
means of education shall forever be encouraged.’’
The First Amendment: Religious Freedom, and Freedom
to Speak, Print, Assemble, and Petition
We hear a good deal nowadays about ‘‘a wall of separation’’ between
church and state in America. To some people’s surprise, this phrase cannot be found in either the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. Actually, the phrase occurs in a letter from Thomas Jefferson, as a
candidate for office, to an assembly of Baptists in Connecticut.
The first clause of the First Amendment reads, ‘‘Congress