Jamestown Virtual Colony

Jamestown: Religion and Government Then and Now

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Objectives:

  1. Students will identify specific examples of Jamestown society's lack of distinction between the powers of the church and the powers of the state
  2. Students will identify how the church and state are separated today.
  3. Students will examine the relationship between religion and society with a separation of church and state and without the separation by preparing a debate on one side.
  4. Students will defend one side of the debate and illustrate that they are knowledgeable, by actively participating in the discussion.
  5. Students will list the pros and cons of the separation of church and state in columns.

    Materials: background notes, Constitutional Law and Politics, Oyez! Search Cases ,Colonial Churches, Colonial Virginia, The Religious Element, Religious Liberty, from First Amendment CyberTribune (FACT)

     

    Relevance:

    This lesson is important in illustrating the importance of the separation of church and state on the society of a country. In this case, they will examine the impact of religion on Jamestown's lack of separation between church and state. Also, they will examine how the strict separation of church and state has affected our society today. This lesson is relevant, because the separation of church and state is a heavily debated topic today. Laws continually manifest themselves in the Supreme Court which challenge the first constitutional amendment.

     

    Involvement of the Learner:

    The teacher will introduce the court case Lee v. Weisman, 112 S.Ct. 2649 (1992) to the class. It was a Supreme Court case which struck down a law that allowed invocations and benedictions at public school graduation ceremonies supervised by school authorities. Since these ceremonies were religious, the public school employees (ie: the state) were not allowed to participate. This court case illustrates an example of separating the powers of the church and state. This wasn't so in the seventeenth century, but there has occurred a gradual separation between these two institutions in the United States. What are the possible effects of this separation or non-separation between church and state on our society?

     

    Organization:

    The teacher will be responsible for presenting the information to the students in a brief mini lecture-discussion format. A background information content outline has been provided. The teacher should make sure that he/she continually asks critical thinking questions and constantly checks for understanding throughout the lecture. The teacher will also be responsible for helping the debate run smoothly--that is, make sure they are focused on the critical points and do not stray from the topic. The students will be responsible for listening attentively and participating during the lecture. They will also be responsible for forming their own opinions on this topic based on the material presented.

    Central Questions: How does religion affect one's society? What was the relationship between church and state in Jamestown in the seventeenth century? What is it like today?

    Activity:

    1. Teacher will give a brief lecture-discussion on the history of religion in Jamestown. He/She should continually ask students questions, such as: "How is their system of church and state different than ours today?" "Why do you think that is?" "Would you feel that your rights were violated if you were fined for not going to church?"
    2. The teacher will divide the students into two groups. One group will represent Jamestown colonists and the other will represent the modern idea of separation of church and state.
    3. The students will devise an argument, using the information form lecture and any other materials that the teacher brings in (the web sites, books, etc. listed in the "materials" section.
    4. The teacher will place students on opposite sides of the room, depending on the side they are arguing. The teacher will instruct the students to defend or critique the separation of church and state based on the persons they are representing.
    5. The teacher will begin the debate by presenting students the facts of a landmark case, which set precedence for the separation of church and state today. This is the Lemon v. Kurtzman case. Was the Supreme Court correct in their decision? Why or why not?

     

    Closure:

    The teacher will ask the students to summarize the relationship between church and state in Jamestown during the seventeenth century.

    Sources: Bridenbaugh, Colonial Churches, Colonial Virginia, Social Life of Virginia, Cradle of the Republic, The Religious Element, OíBrien, David. Constitutional Law & Politics. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1995., Captain John Smith from The Jamestowne Society Website [http://www.jamestowne.org/history/johns.htm].

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