U.S. Constitution / Separation of Church and State

First Amendment entry at Wikipedia

on this page: Bill of Rights • books • opposition • links & other media

U.S Bill of Rights approved 25 September 1789; ratified 15 December 1791 14"x16" poster from Amazon for $12.00 18"x24" parchment poster from Amazon for $14.95

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Books About The U.S. Bill of Rights

	"The Bill of Rights: A User's Guide" [1991] by Linda R. Monk Close Up Publng pb 4th edition [2/2004] out of print/used author's website
	"The Bill of Rights: Creation & Reconstruction" [1998] by Akhil Reed Amar Yale Univ Press 8¼x5½ pb [4/2000] for $12.89 Yale Univ Press 9½x6½ hardcover [8/98] for $49.49 author's homepage at Yale
	"Origins of The Bill of Rights" [1999] by {Pulitzer-winner} Leonard W. Levy Yale Univ Press 7¾x5 pb [3/2001] for $11.96 Yale Univ Press 8½x5¾ hardcover [7/99] for $48.00
	"The War On The Bill of Rights and The Gathering Resistance" [2003] by Nat Hentoff Seven Stories Press 8¼x5½ pb [10/2004] for $11.16 Seven Stories Press 8½x5¾ hardcover [9/2003] for $12.60
	"America's Constitution: A Biography" [2005] by Akhil Reed Amar Random House hardcover [9/2005] for $19.77 author's homepage at Yale

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“I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature.”
— Thomas Jefferson [1743-1826]

“Church and state are, and must remain, separate.” — Ronald Reagan [1911-2004]
{during a speech at Temple Hillel in Valley Stream, New York - 26 October 1984}

“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof', thus building a wall of separation between church and state.”
— Thomas Jefferson [1743-1826]  {in the 'Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association', 1 January 1802}

“Every new and successful example, therefore, of a perfect separation between the ecclesiastical and civil matters, is of importance
and I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and Government will both exist
in greater purity the less they are mixed together.”  — James Madison [1751-1836] {in 'Letter to Edward Livingston' - 10 July 1822}

“Where the Oligarchy is in power, the First Amendment is null and void in the workplace.”
— G.E. Nordell

“Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those that spring from any other cause.”
— George Washington [1732-99]

“The path to true patriotism is confronting your government when it lies.”
— Patrick Tillman, Sr., father of sports star & war hero Pat Tillman [1976-2004]

“Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech.”
— Benjamin Franklin [1706-90], in 1722

“Free speech is a danger to the neo-con fascists, which is why they suppress it.
Our best weapon is to speak freely and loudly and often.”  — G.E. Nordell

“Patriotism may be the last refuge of scoundrels, but religion is assuredly the first.”
— Rick Cass of Florida

“Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion that has ever infected the world.”
— French philosopher Voltaire [1694-1778]

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Books About The First Amendment

	"Roger Williams and The Creation of The American Soul: Church, State, and The Birth of Liberty" [2012] by John M. Barry Kindle Edition from Viking/Penguin [1/2012] for $9.99 Penguin Books pb [12/2012] for $13.40 Viking Adult 9¼x6½ hardcover [1/2012] for $22.99
	"Friend of The Court: On The Front Lines With The First Amendment" [2013] by Floyd Abrams {'one of the country's foremost First Amendment attorneys'} A collection of essays, speeches, articles, and debates Kindle Edition from Yale Univ Press [6/2013] for $17.88 Yale Univ Press 9x6 pb [6/2014] for $20.45 Yale Univ Press 9x6 hardcover [6/2013] for $24.59

Separation of Church & State / Freedom of Religion

	"The Myth of Christian America: What You Need To Know About The Separation of Church & State" [1999] by Mark Weldon Whitten Smyth & Helwys 8¾x5¾ pb [10/99] for $9.60
	"The Founding Fathers and The Place of Religion In America" [2003] by Frank Lambert Princeton Univ Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [1/2003] for $32.95
	"The Separation of Church and State: Writings On A Fundamental Freedom By America's Founders" [2004] Edited by Forrest Church Beacon Press 7¼x4½ hardcover [8/2004] for $10.88
	"The Founders On Religion: A Book of Quotations" [2005] by James H. Hutson Princeton Univ Press pb [10/2007] for $10.17 Princeton Univ Press 8½x5½ hardcover [10/2005] for $15.56
	"Liars For Jesus: The Religious Right's Alternate Version of American History" [2006] by Chris Rodda, Foreword by Rev. Wm. N. Esborn This is not a book about religion. It is a history book that debunks the distortions invented and used by Christian Nationalist history revisionists in their efforts to spread their far-right political agenda and destroy the wall of separation between church and state in America. Kindle Edition from BookSurge Publng [2006 edition] for $9.99 BookSurge Publng 9x6 pb [8/2006] for $20.52
	"Piety & Politics: The Right-Wing Assault On Religious Freedom" [2006] by Barry W. Lynn Harmony 9x6 hardcover [10/2006] for $16.32
	"With God On Our Side: One Man's War Against An Evangelical Coup In America's Military" [2006] by Michael L. Weinstein & Davin Seay Thomas Dunne Books 9¼x6½ hardcover [10/2006] for $17.13
	"American Fascists: The Christian Right & The War On America" [2007] by Chris Hedges Free Press 8¾x5¾ hardcover [1/2007] for $14.99 see also Working Minds Philosophy's Fascists & Barbarians Page
	"Science, Evolution, and Creationism" [2008] by the National Academy of Sciences [est. 1863] and the Institute of Medicine [est. 1970] Kindle Edition from National Academies Press [3/2013] for $11.99 National Academies Press 10x8 pb [1/2008] for $12.74 National Academies Press 10x8 pb [1/2008] out of print/used
	"Holy Hullabaloos: A Road Trip To The Battlegrounds of The Church/State Wars" [2009] by Jay Wexler Beacon Press 8½x5½ pb [6/2009] for $13.60 author's official website
	"The Three Failures of Creationism: Logic, Rhetoric, and Science" [2012] by Walter M. Fitch [1929-2011] Kindle Edition from Univ California Press [3/2012] for $14.97 Univ California Press 8¼x5½ pb [3/2012] for $22.46
	"One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America" [2015] by Kevin M. Kruse America's corporations and Wall Street began the false history that the United States is (always has been) a Christian nation as a strategy during the 1930s to fight Roosevelt's New Deal; the project succeeded when Eisenhower became President, in parallel with the 'red scares' of Sen. Joseph McCarthy Kindle Edition from Basic Books/Hachette [4/2015] for $11.99 Basic Books 9¼x6 pb [5/2016] for $12.34 Basic Books hardcover [4/2015] for $20.39
	"Inventing A Christian America: The Myth of The Religious Founding" [2015] by Steven K. Green Kindle Edition from Oxford Univ Press [6/2015] for $24.49 {sic} Oxford Univ Press 9¼x6¼ hardcover [7/2015] for $25.88 Oxford Univ Press hardcover [7/2015] out of print/used Oxford Univ Press hardcover [7/2015] out of print/used

Freedom of The Press / Free Speech

	"The Good Guys, The Bad Guys, and The First Amendment: Free Speech vs. Fairness In Broadcasting" [1976] by Fred W. Friendly Kindle Edition from Random House [1/2013] for $11.99 Vintage Books 7¾x6 pb [1977] out of print/many used Random House 9½x6¼ hardcover [1976] out of print/many used
	"Tainted Truth: The Manipulation of Fact In America" [1994] by Cynthia Crossen Touchstone 8½x5½ pb [1/96] for $16.94 Simon & Schuster 9¾x6½ hardcover [6/94] out of print/100+ used
	"Censorship, Inc.: The Corporate Threat To Free Speech In The United States" [2002] by Lawrence C. Soley Monthly Review Press 8¾x6½ pb [8/2002] for $16.29 Monthly Review Press 9½x6 hardcover [8/2002] for $70.00 author's homepage
	"-30-: The Collapse of The Great American Newspaper" [2007] Edited by Charles M. Madigan Ivan R. Dee, Publr 8½x5¾ hardcover [9/2007] for $19.76
	"The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism In The Information Age" [2009] by Philip Meyer Univ Missouri Press 2nd edition 9¼x6 pb [9/2009] for $24.51 Univ Missouri Press 2nd edition 9¼x6½hardcover [9/2009] for $49.95
	"You Can't Read This Book: Censorship In An Age of Freedom" [2012] by Nick Cohen Kindle Edition from Fourth Estate [1/2012] for $17.99 Fourth Estate 8½x5¼ pb [1/2012] for $18.98

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Movies About First Amendment Issues

"No Safe Spaces" propaganda docufilm [Atlas Distrbn AZ Oct 2019, USA Dec 2019]

A bunch of right-wing jerks display their ignorance of how the First Amendment works, starting with 'Congress shall make no law . . .' • Co-produced & directed by Justin Folk; written by John Sullivan; featuring Adam Carolla, Dennis Prager, Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin, Jordan B. Peterson, Tim Allen, Silvia Baldassini, Bryan Callen, Alan M. Dershowitz, Karith Foster, Robert P. George, Heather Heying, Van Jones, Michael J. Knowles, Griffin Kramer, Greg Lukianoff, Andrew Schulz, Joseph Servin, Colleen Sheehan, Bret Weinstein, Cornel West DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • full credits at IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia watch 10/2019 official trailer [2:08] online at YouTube

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Opposition To The First Amendment

"The Legal Muscle Leading The Fight To End The Separation of Church and State"
article by journalist Sarah Posner in the 1 April 2007 issue of The Washington Spectator

Lou Engle and The Call

	"Heart of The Beholder"  [festival circuit 2005; DVD release 2008] Based on the true idiocy of American religious fundamentalists committing crimes to ban movies & shut down a video store chain in St. Louis, Missouri. Harrassment and commercial cowardice made distribution difficult to arrange; the official movie website was targeted by the criminal zealots & shut down in 2008 (but is now working); further communications are based at producer River City Entertainment's website. Written, directed & co-produced by Ken Tipton; co-produced by Darlene Lieblich, Arnon Manor & Jeanette Volturno; starring Sarah Brown, Matt Letscher & Katelin Chesna Vanguard color DVD [2/2009] for $19.95 full credits from IMDb • official movie site • movie entry at Wikipedia
	"Jesus Camp"  [Loki Films Sept 2006] A cinema verite exposure of evangelical brain-washing in the U.S. heartland Co-produced & co-directed by Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady Magnolia widescreen color DVD [1/2007] for $19.99 full credits from IMDb • producers' movie site
	"The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault On America's Children" [2012] by Katherine Stewart "A chilling exposé of the well-funded, highly coordinated effort by Christian Nationalists to use public schools to advance a fundamentalist agenda." Kindle Edition from PublicAffairs [1/2012] for $12.99 PublicAffairs 9¼x6 hardcover [1/2012] for $17.15 official book site

Book Banning To Be Followed By Book Burning?           In January of 2012, the fascist Board of Education in Tucson, Arizona banned the entire Xicano & Ethnic Studies curriculum from the school district. To prove their power, they sent goon squads into classrooms and pulled the books out of the hands of students and off of library and classroom shelves, then boxed them up and sent them to a secret location. Particular attention was given to seven books, with the full list adding up to 50 written works that apparently threaten the anti-democracy side – plutocrats, oligarchs, the One Percent – in the escalating real-life Class War here in America.           Various responses are already occurring, including the Librotraficante movement to purchase the banned books elsewhere and smuggle them back into Arizona.           This website has coded bare Amazon links for the Seven Major Offenders. A further expansion, with book covers and multiple editions and other details, for these and several other books that were 'Banned In Tucson' has been coded on Spirit of America Bookstore's America's Ethnic Authors Page. "Chicano!: The History of The Mexican American Civil Rights Movement" [1996] by F. Arturo Rosales Arte Publico Press 11x8½ pb [9/97] for $16.04 Arte Publico Press 11½x9¼ hardcover [3/96] out of print/used "Critical Race Theory: An Introduction" [2001] by Richard Delgado & Jean Stefancic Kindle Edition from N.Y.U. Press [1/2012] for $8.36 N.Y.U. Press 2nd edition 8x5 pb [1/2012] for $19.00 N.Y.U. Press 2nd edition 8x5 hardcover [1/2012] for $55.00 "500 Years of Chicano History" [1990] Edited by Elizabeth S. Martinez Rutgers Univ Press bilingual edition 11x8¼ pb [2/2008] for $22.35 Southwest Community Resources 10¾x8½ pb [6/90] out of print/used official book site {aka "500 Años del Pueblo Chicano"} "Message To Iztlan: Selected Writings of Rodolfo 'Corky' Gonzales" [2001] Kindle Edition from Arte Publico Press [2001 edition] for $9.57 Arte Publico Press 8½x5½ pb [11/2001] for $14.95 "Occupied America: A History of Chicanos" [orig 1972] by Rodolfo Acuña Prentice Hall 7th edition 9x7¼ pb [1/2010] for $63.24 "Pedagogy of The Oppressed" [1968] by Paolo Friere Continuum 9x6¼ pb [9/2000] for $18.30 "Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years" [1992] Edited by Bill Bigelow & Bob Peterson Rethinking Schools, Ltd 2nd edition 10½x8¼ pb [9/98] for $11.63 . . . plus books by authors Sherman Alexie, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Ana Castillo, Sandra Cisneros, Junot Diaz, Martín Espada, Dagoberto Gilb, and Luis Albert Urrea – and the stageplay "The Tempest" [1611] by Wm. Shakespeare [1564-1616].

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Links & Other Media Related To The First Amendment
California First Amendment Coalition
First Amendment Museum [] at Gannett House [built 1911] in Augusta, Maine
Freedom Forum Institute [] in Washington, DC operates the First Amendment Center in DC

Banned Books Week: Celebrating The Freedom To Read [Sept-Oct 2012 = #30] - sponsored by the American Library Association,
the American Booksellers Association, the American Society of Journalists & Authors, the Association of American Publishers,
the National Association of College Stores, and endorsed by the Library of Congress.

	Church & State Magazine [est. 1948] is published by Americans United For Separation of Church and State [est. 1947] magazine is available (11 issues/year) by joining Americans United magazine website • Americans United entry at Wikipedia
	TIME Magazine Cover Story "Is God Dead?" [1966] text of 8 April 1966 cover story at TIME Magazine website
	TIME Magazine Cover Story "One Nation, Under God" [1991] text of 13 December 1991 cover story at TIME Magazine website

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There are no guarantees in this existential Universe. Likewise, in Nature there is no punishment, only consequences.
Delve into any of the line items above and that self-education will deliver to you an advantage over your fellows,
who are blind sheeple complaining that the Universe makes no sense.

[copyright 2012-2023 by Gary Edward Nordell, all rights reserved]

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