Religious Liberty as American History

Abstract:     
This essay demonstrates how the the development of the law of religious freedom in the United States helps to define the nation's history. Professor Bonventre uses religious liberty as a perspective from which to view America's history generally. Major events, documents and Supreme Court decisions are used to illustrate how the struggles between individual religious rights on the one hand and government or societal interests on the other help to elucidate where the nation has been and what it is today.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 6

Keywords: freedom of religion, religious liberty, first amendment, supreme court, Thomas Jefferson, american history, mormons, jehovah witnesses, yoder, west virginia v. barnette, oregon v. smith

Accepted Paper Series