Engel v. Vitale
Storyboard Text
- 1962Engel v. VitaleA school district in New York recites a prayer everyday after the Pledge of Allegiance
- Engel and other parents of children attending school at this time were outraged about the prayer in school. Engel, a Jewish man, believed that the state should not impose a one-size-fits-all prayer upon children of many different faiths or no faith.
- Engel gathered the other parents and put together a court case. They challenged that the officially sponsored prayer as a violation of the First Amendment.
- The plaintiffs lost before the Supreme Court of New York in 1959, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York in 1960, and the Court of Appeals of New York in 1961, none of which viewed the prayer practice as the establishment of an official religion.
- Engel and the others appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the parents in a 6-1 vote
- The decision caused outrage among many and harsh criticism of the Warren Court. Engel said that he and his family members suffered obscene phone calls, taunts, and community ostracism. But he believes he did good in taking the case to court.
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