S1.E16 ∙ Episode #1.16

Each episode features a different comedian finding out what makes people laugh in a different country by observing local culture and meeting with local comedians. Do people in a foreign land laugh at the same things as us, or is their humor completely different? The ultimate test then comes when the comedian performs stand up comedy in front of a foreign crowd. Does our comedy work abroad? Or will these stand-ups fall down? Finally, the comedian has an emotional discovery as they ask where their comedy comes from and who, where and what it is that has helped shape their sense of humor.

Church vs State brings students to a time in America when church and state were often allied. Though many came to America for religious freedom, in some places there was little tolerance for anything but the dominant belief. While those beliefs might vary from colony to colony, the effect was often a state of religion. That began to change with the dissenter's movement in the 1740's. The dissenters challenged the established Church of England and ultimately transformed American ideas about religious toleration. Students will meet Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson and learn the roles each played in the debate over religious freedom, a debate that ultimately resulted in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights.