In 1982, President Ronald Reagan proposed a constitutional amendment (S. J. Res 73) to permit organized prayer in public schools. Dubbed the "Reagan Amendment", it read
''Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to prohibit individual or group prayer in public schools or other public institutions. No person shall be required by the United States or by any state to participate in prayer.''
Reagan wanted to change the settled law for almost 20 years that forbade prayers to be publicly led in schools. In 1963, the Supreme court upheld a district court ruling that a public school can not require that passages be read from the Bible or that the Lord's prayer be recited in public schools of a state, even if individuals may be excused with parent's written permission. In 1984, Reagan used his State of the Union Address to urge Congress to support prayer in school.
For a little historical background, in 1844 riots took place in Philadelphia due to rising anti-Catholic sentiment at the growing population of Irish Catholic immigrants. Protest nativist groups began spreading rumors that Catholics were trying to remove the Bible from Catholic schools. Fierce fighting broke out between the nativists and the soldiers sent to protect St. Philip Neri's Catholic church. It is hard for us today to imagine such divides among Christians, but such divides prompted Mrs. E. H. J. Cleveland to write the poem "No Sects in Heaven" in 1869. For the next 100 years there continued to be heated debates. The arguments were chiefly about different sects within Christianity. It was in this America, that a 1963 court case was brought on behalf of Edward Schempp, a Unitarian Universalist (a liberal Christian church). Schempp believed that the reading of the pre-selected Bible verses and recitation of the Lord's prayer were contrary to his religious beliefs and family teachings. When the Supreme court ruled on this case, they did not ban private prayer, but they did ban schools from leading students in prayer or scriptural readings.
In Reagan's 1984 State of the Union Address he spoke out for school prayer and urged the Senators to support his amendment. He saw the irony that while it was acceptable for congress to begin each session with prayer, schools could not.
"If you can begin your day with a member of the clergy standing right here leading you in prayer, then why can't freedom to acknowledge God be enjoyed again by children in every schoolroom across this land? America was founded by people who believed that God was their rock of safety. He is ours. I recognize we must be cautious in claiming that God is on our side, but I think it's all right to keep asking if we're on His side."
Ultimately, the Senate voted down the amendment when they failed to reach the 2/3 majority needed. 54 Senators voted for the amendment and 44 voted against.
In February of 1982, Ronald Reagan gave a radio address to America about school prayer.
References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. (2018). Ronald Reagan: Address Before a Joint Session of the Congress on the State of the Union. [online] Available at: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=40205 [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018].
Congress Defeats School Prayer Amendment, "Equal Access". (2018). Voice of Reason, Spring 1984(12), p.1. [online] Available at: http://www.arlinc.org/newsletters/1984-2-12.pdf [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018].
En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Abington School District v. Schempp. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abington_School_District_v._Schempp [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018].
HuffPost UK. (2018). Americans Still Conflicted About School Prayer. [online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/19/school-prayer_n_3461479.html [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018].
Nytimes.com. (2018). REAGAN PROPOSES SCHOOL PRAYER AMENDMENT. [online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/18/us/reagan-proposes-school-prayer-amendment.html [Accessed 5 Feb. 2018].
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