First Amendment Rights: Freedom of Religion

FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

RESOURCE TOOLKIT FOR AMERICAN SPACES

This Resource Toolkit is designed for programming at American Spaces to create a greater awareness of the rights outlined in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, specifically freedom of religion. This is the second in a series of three First Amendment Toolkits.

LESSON PLANS

Religious Tolerance This interactive lesson from the Southern Poverty Law Center promotes religious tolerance.

Respect of ReligionThis PBS lesson plan has videos and describes various religions and the importance of mutual respect. It is appropriate for intermediate English language learners.

Freedom of Religion | Crash Course Government and Politics – This short video discusses the first amendment and an individual’s right to the freedom of religion.

Separation between Church and State – This lesson plan from Interactive Constitution has videos, lesson plans, and activities.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN THE U.S.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…

Today this means that there is no official state religion. There are about 3,000 religious groups in the United   States. James Madison, known as the Father of the Constitution and 4th president, argued that everyone should be able to choose their own religion, and this right is enshrined in our Constitution under the First Amendment.

In 1998, Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act to ensure that the U.S. government promotes this fundamental right. This law was later amended to include the freedom of conscious to protect the right not to profess or practice any religion. Under this act, Congress receives an annual report known as the International Religious Freedom Report that details the status of religious freedom throughout the world.

Annual reports can be found here.

RESOURCES

Articles from ShareAmerica

Voices of Religious Freedom

ShareAmerica’s Expert Advice Series

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Important Dates

While you should consider running events on this throughout the year in coordination with Public Affairs Section campaigns, here are some key dates:

  • January 16 – National Religious Freedom Day
  • August 22 – International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief

MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

PROGRAMMING IDEAS

  • Invite activists, exchange alumni, and religious leaders to discuss the importance of pluralism and religious freedom in your local context.
  • Invite U.S. officials to discuss how the U.S. promotes religious freedom abroad.
  • Use the Expert Advice Series for English discussion clubs or courses.
  • Create presentations or discussions on this topic using the lesson plans and videos in this kit
  • Check out Gale in Context from eLibraryUSA for more resources.

The views expressed in these links and resources do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. government.

Updated May 2024