ABSTRACT
One of the most remarked upon phenomena in American politics is the growing infl uence of the Christian right in American politics. In this paper we examine the Christian right’s political infl uence on K-12 education. We pose several questions. First, is the political infl uence of religious groups on education a new development in American history? We shall argue that the participation of the Christian right in educational politics has ebbed and fl owed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Although religious infl uences on public education were muted after World War II, during the 1970s religious groups reemerged as important political actors. We suggest that this historical interpretation sheds light on the signifi cance of the Christian right as a political movement and its potential for transforming K-12 education. Accordingly, in the fi rst section of the paper we undertake an historical survey of the ways in which conservative religious groups from the mid-19th century forward have attempted to impact federal, state, and local policy.
