You will write a 5-7-page research paper. The purpose of this assignment is to encourage you to apply all that you have learned in this course to a significant current issue. As a result, you should be able to draw some conclusions about the current state of our constitutional and religious history in the U.S. in the 21st century.

Look at a specific issue in contemporary culture from the vantage point of our constitutional history. Assess where the United States is today in terms of our legal and religious history.

One of the most controversial areas of Supreme Court adjudication lies in its First Amendment decisions. Some of the most convoluted decision-making relates to the Establishment of Religion. Two of the more recent significant cases are Van Orden v. Perry (2005) and McCreary County v. ACLU (2005). Both cases involve controversies centered on religious displays of the Ten Commandments on public property.

Analyze the Van Orden and McCreary cases in light of what you have learned regarding our constitutional heritage in this course.

You will have 2 major sections to your paper:

Part I - Facts of the Cases

For each case, include the following areas:

• The Facts of the Case
• The Legal Question
• The Court's Decision
• The Court's Rationale that supports its decision
• The Rationale of the dissenting Opinions

Part II - Your Informed Analysis of the Cases Based upon Course Material

Analyze what these decisions say about where the United States is today in terms of its Constitutional and religious liberties history.

Your discussion must include, but is not limited to, the following lenses of analysis:

• These decisions in light of America's constitutional history
• These decisions in light of the Christian foundations of America
• These decisions in light of specific Constitutional principles
• These decisions in light of specific methods of Constitutional adjudication

This paper must be 5-7 pages long (excluding the title page and bibliography). You must use current Turabian format, with default margins and 12-pt Times New Roman font.

BEFORE THIS I WILL NEED THIS. THE THESIS STATEMENT

This assignment is designed to help you approach your second research paper. Beginning to work on your research paper early will help you avoid rushing things near the end of the course. Using current Turabian format, develop a 1-page document that includes the following aspects:

1) A thesis statement
2) A 1-paragraph discussion of where you see your paper going
3) An outline of your paper. At this point, 2-3 main points and the 2-3 subpoints under each main point will suffice. For example:

4) At least 5 quality sources that you expect to use

5) Any questions or challenges that you would like guidance on

Note: your focus may change as you move deeper into the research, but this assignment will at least get you thinking and moving in the right direction.