Final Project: Legal Analysis Research Paper Jessica Cowand Southern New Hampshire University POL-328 Professor Kristine Tsahiridis October 20, 2024 The case of Engel v. Vitale (1962) began in New York in 1951 when the New York Board of Regents of the Department of Education in the state of New York proposed that public schools should be authorized, not required, to start the day with a non-denominational prayer (Engel v. Vidal, n.d.). Superintendent William J. Vitale Jr., who oversaw Herricks Union Free School District in 1958 adopted the proposal ( Engel V. Vitale, 370 U.S. 421 (1962) , n.d.). Five Harrick’s parents, however, felt that having a prayer was against the Establishment Clause found in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. In that clause, the First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (The