Introduction

The drums rumbled as the three prisioners made their way forward. They were headed to the great elm tree on Boston Common: the hanging elm. The three prisioners—William Robinson, Marmaduke Stevenson, and Mary Dyer—had been condemned to die. Their offense? They were Quakers who had challenged the wrath of the Puritan clergy. And here, in Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Puritans were powerful.

The Puritans belonged to the colony’s official church, and their religion was as stern as New England’s long winters. Puritans in the 1600s walked to a daylong Sabbath service. Their simple meetinghouses stood at the town center. No fancy priests’ robes, no organ music, no crucifixes were allowed.

Only “visible saints” who led blameless lives could become members of the Puritan church. Only church members could vote in town elections. The Bible furnished all the basic rules for life, and strict rules they were. The Bible contained the will of God, and the Puritan clergy interpreted that will. The ministers’ interpretations became law.

The Puritans felt that stern measures were necessary if the colony were to survive, far from England and in the harsh New England landscape. Other churches, as a result, were not welcome. Especially Quakers. The Quakers preached, among other things, that God communicated directly with every person. This preaching suggested that ministers were unnecessary. The Puritan ministers, recognizing this threat to their dominance, did all they could to rid themselves of the Quakers. Quakers were thrown in prison, whipped, and starved. Some had their ears cut off. Even these measures were not enough.

In 1658 the General Court, or legislature, passed a bill that banished all Quakers from Massachusetts Bay. Quakers who refused to leave would be killed. A year later, William Robinson, Marmaduke Stevenson, and Mary Dyer were condemned to hang for this offense. All three Quaker missionaries had previously been thrown out of Massachusetts. All had returned to face death.

Robinson was hanged first. Next came Stevenson. Then it was Mary Dyer’s turn. Just as the hangman was placing the rope around her neck a voice cried, “Stop! She is reprieved!”

Mary was taken down from the scaffold and again was banished from the colony. Six months later she returned. This time there was no reprieve. This time she was marched to the gallows and straightaway hanged.

The Task

By the end of this assignment, you and your group will answer the following questions:

a) What does “freedom of religion” mean in America?

b) Does the Constitution protect freedom of religion? If so, what part of the Constitution?

c) Can the government help a “specific” religion? Can it suppress a religion?

d) Can citizens believe anything they want and worship in any way they please? Explain.

Meeting the Standards

You will be able to meet the New York State learning standards by using a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate your understanding of the necessity for establishing “basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the role, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation”…Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship and Government of the Learning Standards for Social Studies

Resources

Here are the sites you should use in your analysis:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/fer.html

The Process

I. You are to survey thirty people by using the survey at http://opinionpower.com/Surveys/47801993.html

II. You are to report your results during your oral presentation to the class.

III. Format for Oral Presentation

A. Your oral presentation will last twenty minutes. It should be divided into four parts with a section for the facts in the case, the issue of the case, the reasoning of both the appeallee and appellant.

B. You will work in groups of four to present your oral presentation and hand in your written report.

C. You will need to analyze the facts, the issues, the reasoning and the decisions of the following cases during your oral presentations and in your written assignment:

1. Reynolds vs. United States

2. Wisconsin vs. Yoder

3. Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye vs. Hialeah

D. The final five minutes of your presentation will be comparing the results of the opinion power surveys to the actual decisions of the Supreme Court. How do the decisions of the Supreme Court compare to the opinions of those that you surveyed.

Evaluation

A. Written Part

Each group will hand in an essay that analyzing each of the three cases and evaluate the decision in the cases with the surveys that were taken of the thirty people.

B. Your oral presentations will be judged on the following rubric:

a. Delivery (voice projection, organization, visual aids)

You may use your knowledge of PowerPoint to add more visual effects to your presentation.

b. Rapport with audience (eye contact, response to questions, and humor)

c. Demeanor (posture, poise)

d. Content (coverage, appropriate level of detail)

C. The written part will be worth fifty percent (50%) and the oral presentation (50%) will be worth fifty percent of the group’s grade. You must learn to work with your group members in order to get a good grade.