Presented by Willard Hurst as part of his course "Introduction to Modern American Legal History" at the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1978. This lecture returns to the subject of separation between church and state with a particular focus upon the laws that confirm this decision. Hurst discusses the diversity of sectarian interests that exist, and the statutes of religious toleration and privacy, which protect these rights. He then goes on the emphasizes the church's insistence that compulsory, state-controlled education remain separation from religion, and how this is related to Locke's ideas on the freedom of private association for religious beliefs. Hurst continues to discuss the dynamics behind separation of church and state, and the amendments that called for the inclusion of prayer in school. He also points out the areas within the political framework where organized religion exists: the balanced ticket, racial justice and peace, and lobbying groups.
