The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified and adopted in 1791, promised that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." But the reality for Jews living in a Christian country was often more complex than that. Over the next 227 years, American Jews prodded and nudged federal and state legislatures and courts to ensure that America lived up to the promise of the First Amendment. The fascinating story of American Jewish efforts to shape the American public sphere into one that was truly inclusive of different faiths has much to teach us about what religious equality truly means. Recorded live at the Community Beit Midrash in February 2018, where Laura Shaw Frank represented Yeshivat Maharat.