• The Problem with the Peace Cross

    Author(s):
    Adam McDuffie (see profile)
    Date:
    2020
    Subject(s):
    Religion, Law, History, Memory, Nationalism
    Item Type:
    Online publication
    Tag(s):
    Establishment Clause, World War I, Supreme Court
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/zg76-ap25
    Abstract:
    In June 2019, in the case of American Legion v. American Humanist Association, the United States Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that a World War I memorial cross could remain on public land without violating the Establishment Clause. This brief essay reflects on the implications of the Court’s decision, which was rooted in a history of the cross as a generalized symbol of the war, emptied of particular religious significance. This decision reveals ignorance of the pervasiveness of religious nationalism throughout World War I, and furthermore provides an example of the Supreme Court’s underexplored role as an arbiter of societal memory. Through examination of the role of religion in World War I, this paper argues that the Court has drastically misrepresented the impetus for construction of the Peace Cross in a manner which constitutes a harmful cheapening of the cross as a symbol of great significance to many Christians. The American Legion decision also signals cause for concern over the Court’s role as an authoritative source of American social memory. The Court interprets law through history, and the precedent the Court establishes has the capacity to shape the record of American history, and thus American memory. The Court’s recasting of the war memorial cross as a secular symbol threatens to alter the nation’s memory of this particular symbol with very real consequences for the application of the Establishment Clause.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Online publication     Show details
    Pub. URL:
    https://canopyforum.org/2019/11/20/the-problem-with-the-peace-cross-by-adam-mcduffie/
    Website:
    Canopy Forum
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    3 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved
    Share this:

    Downloads

    Item Name: pdf canopy-forum-problem-with-the-peace-cross.pdf
      Download View in browser
    Activity: Downloads: 43

    Back to Deposits