religious freedom essay topics

Presentations made painless

Get Premium

129 Freedom Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Freedom is a fundamental human right that allows individuals to act and make choices without constraints. It is a concept that has been debated and explored for centuries, with countless thinkers, philosophers, and activists offering their perspectives on what it means to truly be free. When it comes to discussing freedom, there are endless possibilities for essay topics. Here are 129 freedom essay topic ideas and examples to inspire your writing:

The concept of freedom in a democratic society
Freedom of speech and its limitations
The role of freedom in shaping individual identity
Freedom of the press and its importance in a democratic society
The relationship between freedom and responsibility
The impact of technology on freedom and privacy
Freedom and equality: are they mutually exclusive?
The importance of freedom in promoting creativity and innovation
Freedom of religion and its implications for society
The history of freedom movements around the world
The role of education in promoting freedom and critical thinking
Freedom and social justice: how are they connected?
The impact of social media on freedom of expression
Freedom and human rights: are they universal?
The relationship between freedom and happiness
The concept of economic freedom and its implications for society
Freedom and the rule of law: how are they related?
The impact of censorship on freedom of speech
Freedom and democracy: are they inseparable?
The role of the government in protecting individual freedoms
The impact of colonialism on freedom movements in the Global South
The importance of cultural freedom and diversity
Freedom and globalization: how are they connected?
The role of civil disobedience in promoting freedom and social change
The impact of war and conflict on freedom
Freedom and the environment: are they compatible?
The role of art and literature in promoting freedom of expression
Freedom and gender equality: are they interconnected?
The relationship between freedom and security
The impact of surveillance on individual freedoms
Freedom and the right to protest
The role of activism in promoting freedom and social change
Freedom and the right to privacy
The impact of capitalism on individual freedoms
Freedom and the right to assembly
The role of the United Nations in promoting freedom and human rights
The impact of colonialism on freedom movements in Africa
Freedom and the right to a fair trial
The relationship between freedom and social mobility
The role of technology in promoting freedom and democracy
The impact of social media on freedom of information
Freedom and the right to access information
The role of education in promoting freedom and democracy
Freedom and the right to healthcare
The impact of poverty on individual freedoms
Freedom and the right to clean water and sanitation
The relationship between freedom and economic development
The role of the media in promoting freedom and democracy
Freedom and the right to education
The impact of discrimination on individual freedoms
Freedom and the right to employment
The relationship between freedom and social welfare
The role of civil society in promoting freedom and human rights
Freedom and the right to housing
The impact of climate change on individual freedoms
Freedom and the right to food security
The relationship between freedom and access to justice
The role of international organizations in promoting freedom and human rights
Freedom and the right to a clean environment
The impact of globalization on individual freedoms
Freedom and the right to political participation
The relationship between freedom and social cohesion
The role of NGOs in promoting freedom and human rights
Freedom and the right to social security
The impact of corruption on individual freedoms
Freedom and the right to participate in cultural life
The relationship between freedom and social inclusion
The role of the private sector in promoting freedom and human rights
Freedom and the right to participate in decision-making
The impact of armed conflict on individual freedoms
Freedom and the right to non-discrimination
The relationship between freedom and social protection
The role of the judiciary in promoting freedom and human rights
Freedom and the right to access justice
The impact of natural disasters on individual freedoms
Freedom and the right to participate in public affairs
The role of the state in promoting freedom and human rights
Freedom and the right to access public services
The impact of migration on individual freedoms

Want to create a presentation now?

Instantly Create A Deck

Let PitchGrade do this for me

Hassle Free

We will create your text and designs for you. Sit back and relax while we do the work.

Explore More Content

History Classics
Your Profile
Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
This Day In History
History Podcasts
History Vault

Freedom of Religion

By: History.com Editors

Updated: July 28, 2023 | Original: December 7, 2017

Color Print Depicting Public Worship at Plymouth by the Pilgrims( Original Caption) Public worship at Plymouth by the Pilgrims. Colored engraving. Undated.

Freedom of religion is protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits laws establishing a national religion or impeding the free exercise of religion for its citizens. While the First Amendment enforces the “separation of church and state” it doesn’t exclude religion from public life. From the colonial era to present, religion has played a major role in politics in the United States. The U.S. Supreme Court over the years has ruled inconsistently on matters of religious freedom, such as the display of religious symbols in government buildings.

Religion In Colonial America

America wasn’t always a stronghold of religious freedom. More than half a century before the Pilgrims set sail in the Mayflower , French Protestants (called Huguenots) established a colony at Fort Caroline near modern-day Jacksonville, Florida .

The Spanish, who were largely Catholic and occupied much of Florida at the time, slaughtered the Huguenots at Fort Caroline. The Spanish commander wrote the king that he had hanged the settlers for “scattering the odious Lutheran doctrine in these Provinces.”

The Puritans and Pilgrims arrived in New England in the early 1600s after suffering religious persecution in England. However, the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony didn’t tolerate any opposing religious views. Catholics, Quakers and other non-Puritans were banned from the colony.

Roger Williams

In 1635 Roger Williams , a Puritan dissident, was banned from Massachusetts. Williams then moved south and founded Rhode Island . Rhode Island became the first colony with no established church and the first to grant religious freedom to everyone, including Quakers and Jews.

As Virginia’s governor in 1779, Thomas Jefferson drafted a bill that would guarantee the religious freedoms of Virginians of all faiths—including those with no faith—but the bill did not pass into law.

Religion was mentioned only once in the U.S. Constitution . The Constitution prohibits the use of religious tests as qualification for public office. This broke with European tradition by allowing people of any faith (or no faith) to serve in public office in the United States.

First Amendment

In 1785, Virginia statesman (and future president) James Madison argued against state support of Christian religious instruction. Madison would go on to draft the First Amendment , a part of the Bill of Rights that would provide constitutional protection for certain individual liberties including freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the press, and the rights to assemble and petition the government.

The First Amendment was adopted on December 15, 1791. It established a separation of church and state that prohibited the federal government from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion.” It also prohibits the government, in most cases, from interfering with a person’s religious beliefs or practices.

The Fourteenth Amendment, adopted in 1868, extended religious freedom by preventing states from enacting laws that would advance or inhibit any one religion.

Religious Intolerance In the United States

Mormons , led by Joseph Smith , clashed with the Protestant majority in Missouri in 1838. Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs ordered that all Mormons be exterminated or expelled from the state.

At Haun’s Mill, Missouri militia members massacred 17 Mormons on October 30, 1838.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the U.S. government subsidized boarding schools to educate and assimilate Native American children. At these schools, Native American children were prohibited from wearing ceremonial clothes or practicing native religions.

While most states followed federal example and abolished religious tests for public office, some states maintained religious tests well into the twentieth century. Maryland , for instance, required “a declaration of belief in God,” for all state officeholders until 1961.

Landmark Supreme Court Cases

Reynolds v. United States (1878): This Supreme Court case tested the limits of religious liberty by upholding a federal law banning polygamy. The Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment forbids government from regulating belief but not from actions such as marriage.

Braunfeld v. Brown (1961): The Supreme Court upheld a Pennsylvania law requiring stores to close on Sundays, even though Orthodox Jews argued the law was unfair to them since their religion required them to close their stores on Saturdays as well.

Sherbert v. Verner (1963): The Supreme Court ruled that states could not require a person to abandon their religious beliefs in order to receive benefits. In this case, Adell Sherbert, a Seventh-day Adventist, worked in a textile mill. When her employer switched from a five-day to six-day workweek, she was fired for refusing to work on Saturdays. When she applied for unemployment compensation, a South Carolina court denied her claim.

Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971): This Supreme Court decision struck down a Pennsylvania law allowing the state to reimburse Catholic schools for the salaries of teachers who taught in those schools. This Supreme Court case established the “Lemon Test” for determining when a state or federal law violates the Establishment Clause—that’s the part of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from declaring or financially supporting a state religion.

Ten Commandments Cases (2005): In 2005, the Supreme Court came to seemingly contradictory decisions in two cases involving the display of the Ten Commandments on public property. In the first case, Van Orden v. Perry , the Supreme Court ruled that the display of a six-foot Ten Commandments monument at the Texas State Capital was constitutional. In McCreary County v. ACLU , the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that two large, framed copies of the Ten Commandments in Kentucky courthouses violated the First Amendment.

Muslim Travel Bans

In 2017, federal district courts struck down the implementation of a series of travel bans ordered by President Donald J. Trump , citing that the bans—which discriminate against the citizens of several Muslim-majority nations—would violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.

America’s True History of Religious Tolerance; Smithsonian.com . Religious Liberty: Landmark Supreme Court Cases; Bill of Rights Institute . First Amendment; Legal Information Institute .

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

Catholic Education

Religious liberty essay contest.

@USCCBCatholicEd

Witnesses to Freedom

USCCB Religious Liberty Essay Contest 2024

Congratulations to the winners of this year's essay contest!

First place: Daring to Defy the Crown and Give Faith to the Poor , by Alan Michels

Second place: Freed to Serve: The Witness of Bl. Nicholas Charnetsky , by Mary Maleski

Third place: Bishop Alvarez: A Modern-Day Champion for Religious Freedom , by Larkin Stojka

Share the story of a witness to freedom. Choose one person (or group, such as an organization or community) who is important in the story of freedom. Was there a key moment in the person’s life that bears witness to freedom? Or was it the life as a whole? Did the person articulate important concepts for religious freedom, and if so, what arguments did she or he make? Why is this person a witness to religious freedom? What lessons can we learn from this person’s witness?

Please include a bibliography. Any reference style is acceptable as long as it is consistent throughout the document. Essays should be no longer than 1,100 words .

The first-place essay will be published Our Sunday Visitor , and the author will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship.

Second place will receive a $1,000 scholarship, and third place will receive a $500 scholarship.

Submissions

Essays are due March 29, 2024 . Winners will be announced in May.

Please complete the consent form and include with submission .

Email submissions [email protected] .

See contest rules for details .

About OSV Institute

Our Sunday Visitor Institute seeks to Serve the Church by inspiring and encouraging innovative and effective Church-related programs and activities. Learn more at www.osvinstitute.com .

Past Winners

First place: Little Strokes Fell Great Oaks: The Story of the Littlest Witness , by Sofia Cornicelli

Second place: Joy at the Guillotine , by Cara Magliochetti

Third place: Saint Justin: Philosopher, Apologist, and Martyr , by Margaret Nornberg

Highest participation: Bethlehem Catholic High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

First place: Father Anthony Kohlmann: An Early witness to Religious Liberty , by Elizabeth Bernadette Rudolph

Second place: St. Thomas Becket: The Witness in the Cathedral , by John Douglas Hill

Third place: Nijole Sadunaite: A Radiance of Freedom , by Paul Liulevicius

Home / Essay Samples / Religion / Religious Freedom

Religious Freedom Essay Examples

The importance of religious freedom: preserving liberty and diversity.

Religious freedom is a fundamental human right that plays a pivotal role in fostering a just and inclusive society. This essay delves into the significance of religious freedom, its historical context, and its role in promoting diversity, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence among individuals of varying...

The Significance of Freedom of Religion

Freedom of religion, a fundamental human right, plays a pivotal role in fostering diverse societies and upholding individual autonomy. This essay delves into the importance of freedom of religion, exploring its role in promoting cultural diversity, protecting human rights, and fostering social harmony. Freedom of...

Personal Explain: How Globalization Affects Religious Practices and Beliefs

To explore how globalization affects religious practices and beliefs, this essay will explain by discussing the ways in which contemporary spirituality has evolved into a more personal and individual experience, leading to the emergence of pilgrimage sites like Glastonbury that attract people from around the...

Religious Intolerance: a Barrier to Unity and Understanding

Religious intolerance, marked by prejudice and hostility toward individuals or groups based on their religious beliefs, stands as a significant challenge to social harmony and global progress. This phenomenon, often fueled by misunderstandings and fear, undermines the principles of empathy, respect, and coexistence that are...

How Religion Shapes Personal Values and Beliefs

When we go shopping, most of us want a variety of products to choose from. If the market sells a variety of fruits and vegetables, we can choose the ones we like best and are good for the family. If a clothing store displays a...

Is America a Christian Nation: Why Secularism is Necessary

Is America a christian nation essay? Imagine being forced by the government to practice a religion you do not believe in. Imagine this religion and its ancient scriptures, in many cases written thousands of years ago by racist, misogynistic slave-owners, affecting the laws of a...

Religious Freedom and Discrimination of LGBTQ Community

“This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened … It ought to be...

Religious Freedom Should Be a Human Right

The media is a powerful platform that instills many important or irrelevant issues in each individuals mind. The media creates fear and hysteria in viewers’ minds, for example the recent outbreak of Coronavirus, the media blew it out of proportion and caused people to panic...

The Importance of Kids’ Understanding of Religious Freedom

Children are not being tolerant of certain beliefs. However, if we change that view point at a young age we won't have to worry about it influencing our future. Sometimes it seems that children already have certain biases and hatred towards people unlike themselves. This...

Trying to find an excellent essay sample but no results?

Don’t waste your time and get a professional writer to help!