The modern version (since 1948) of separation of church and state is based on the opinion written by a former KKK member appointed to the Supreme Court by FDR. At the time of the decision, the Catholic Church had been involved in establishing private schools throughout the U.S. and the administration was determined to stop it. Like many KKK members Justice Black was raised with an abiding hatred for Papists as well as other minorities and he managed to find some obscure letter written by Jefferson and based his opinion on what Jefferson might have thought rather than the Constitution and naturally there was no outcry by the media at the time. It should be noted that the same Justice had written the majority opinion justifying FDR's incarceration of innocent Japanese American citizens.