American Political Thought

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the case of Minersville vs. Gobitis, from 1940 in which the Gobitis family who were Jehovah's Witnesses, were denied a free elementary school education because of their refusal to salute the flag in Minersville Pennsylvania. The Minersville School district ultimately won. It analyzes the justification of the presiding Justice Frankfurter that religion does need to be protected by the government and his views on the promotion of nationalism. It examines later cases all between the state and religion and the changes in legislation over the years on the topic.

From the Paper:

"The Gobitis family believed that their rights to freedom of religion and their right to due process had indeed been violated when their children were denied an education. The case would ultimately have to be decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. The Minersville School district, believing that they were standing on firm ground with this requirement, fought the battle out in the Supreme Court and ultimately won. However, the question still remains of whether or not the decision was fair, or if the decision may have been made due to bias towards the Jehovah's Witnesses in society."

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