This Day in History: 1956-11-26

Ellery Schempp, protesting the mandatory reading of passages from the Bible in his public school homeroom, decided to read passages from the Koran instead of the Bible; that earned him a trip to the principal’s office. He and his family would request help from the American Civil Liberties Union, launching the case of School District of Abington Township v. Schempp. In the end, The Supreme Court ruled that such mandatory religious exercises were unconstitutional.