USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Yoder, 406 U.S. 205 (1972) Under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, a state law requiring that children attend school past eighth grade violates the parents’ constitutional right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Amish families argued that going to school after 8th grade violated the First Amendment because their children going to school affected their assimilation into the Amish community and prevented their salvation.

Detailed explanation-3: -In Wisconsin v. Yoder, the Court prioritized free exercise of religion over the state interest in an educated populace. The Court ruled that the individual liberty to worship freely outweighed the state’s interest in forcing students to attend school.

Detailed explanation-4: -Why it matters: The Supreme Court’s decision in this case established the precedent that an individual’s right to exercise their religious beliefs under the First Amendment takes priority over the state’s interests in compulsory education.