USG.SS.12.D

Analyze the reasons the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom in America and guaranteed its free exercise by saying that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," and compare this to the concept of separation of church and state.

United States Government · Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) · TEKS 2010

Standard Unwrapping

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Vocabulary
Founding Fathersreligious freedomAmericafree exerciseCongresslawestablishment of religionfree exercise thereofseparation of church and stateconcept
Skills
  • analyze (reasons for protecting religious freedom in America) #dok3
  • compare (concept of separation of church and state to constitutional guarantees) #dok2
  • explain (how Founding Fathers guaranteed free exercise of religion in the Constitution) #dok2
  • identify (constitutional language regarding religious freedom) #dok1
Learning Targets
  • I can identify the language in the Constitution that addresses religious freedom. #dok1
  • I can explain how the Founding Fathers guaranteed the free exercise of religion in the First Amendment. #dok2
  • I can compare the concept of separation of church and state with the actual wording of the First Amendment. #dok2
  • I can analyze the reasons the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom in America. #dok3
Big Ideas
  • Religious freedom is a fundamental principle protected by the U.S. Constitution and was deliberately included by the Founding Fathers.
  • The concept of separation of church and state arises from both constitutional language and evolving interpretations of religious freedom in America.
Essential Questions
  • Why did the Founding Fathers believe it was important to guarantee religious freedom in America?
  • How does the wording of the First Amendment protect religious freedom?
  • What is the difference between the concept of separation of church and state and the language in the First Amendment?
  • How has the interpretation of religious freedom evolved in the United States over time?
  • In what ways does the protection of religious freedom limit government power?