The men commonly referred to as “Our Founding Fathers” wanted to establish a government that would be free of the stranglehold that religion had upon the governments of their Old Countries. The American Colonies, after all, were made up of many people who had fled religious persecution. The people who settled here did still harbor intolerance toward one another, and that is something that continues today by specific groups, however the writers of The Constitution and its Bill of Rights ensured that religion was not something that was woven into the fabric of our government.
It’s evident why they found religion and the State’s role in it to be a subject of utmost importance during the formation of a new government, when you take into consideration their own, individual spiritual beliefs. These were a collection of men with a variety of beliefs, some whose spiritual paths were still winding, and with views that ranged from extremely liberal to staunchly conservative, who were able to come together in 1787 to establish our Constitution in secret and over the course of much debate and compromise.
Thomas Jefferson was a Deist. John Adams was a Unitarian. Alexander Hamilton changed his religion throughout his lifetime and his beliefs ranged in time from Greek Paganism to Christianity. James Wilson also had an adaptive religious outlook throughout his life. James Madison was raised Episcopalian, baptized Anglican. Benjamin Franklin was born into a Purist upbringing, but later became Deist. Gouverneur Morris’ religious beliefs also shifted over his lifetime; he went to a Huguenot school, then showed a leaning toward both Christianity and Deism at different times. Roger Sherman was a Calvinist, a Puritan with strong, conservative beliefs. Samuel Adams was also a Puritan. John Jay was also raised in a Hugenot beginning and then later became Episcipalian. John Hancock was Christian and his father and grandfather were both Congregational Christian ministers. Philip Livingston was Presbyterian. Benjamin Rush was an avid Christian and is often referred to as an evangelist. Most of the Founding Fathers were religious men, but they valued the fact that they were able to explore their spirituality and come to their own conclusions. Jefferson and Madison were certainly the strongest advocates for keeping the state from dictating the religion of all citizens.
George Washington, who was the presiding officer of the Federal Constitutional Convention, was, himself, Anglican, after having had to denounce the Catholic Religion upon entering the military in England. During the course of his life, though, he developed a tolerance for other religions and fostered that among his troops and at his home. Evidence of this can be found in some of his actions and practices. For example, he did not mandate that the enslaved people that he kept adhere to a particular religion. He advertised for hired men and explicitly stated that they could be of any religious persuasion, or none at all, as long as they were hard-working. He did require that his troops attend some sort of religious service, but he did not dictate which, and made it his own practice to attend a variety of services so that he could better understand the men under his command.
Later, in his 1796 Farewell Address, George Washington made it clear that his hope for the future of America was that the People would consider what he had learned over the course of his life – that, while he believed that religion and morality are pillars that hold up the society, the government must remain neutral concerning religion, allowing individuals of all faiths to practice freely without interference or preference from the state – because our Nation is built upon the collection of these pillars. He did very clearly state that he believed a “national morality” could not exist without religion. However, he noted that the People have “slight shades of difference” in religion.
After The Constitution was in place, there was some disagreement because it did not expressly list rights of the People. George Mason was one of the men who refused to sign The Constitution because of this. On the other hand, opposition to the inclusion of rights stemmed from the belief that it was redundant, given that the government’s authority was limited to those explicitly specified in The Constitution. Nevertheless, Mason’s notions garnered support, and Massachusetts was on the verge of impeding the government’s establishment by refusing to ratify the document. So, the first ten Amendments were written purposely by James Madison in the form of rights of the People so that the government, itself, would not have to be changed and so that all parties would agree to sign it. The Bill of Rights, or the first ten Amendments, was ratified and became part of The Constitution in 1791.
The first of these Amendments, therefore the one they considered the most important, is commonly referred to as “The Establishment Clause.” It unequivocally states, in its opening sentence, that the Government would never establish a state religion.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Thomas Jefferson was perhaps the biggest defender of this principle. He expressly referred to the “Separation of Church and State” when he wrote a letter in 1802 to the Danbury Baptist Association in which he said the People had established a wall of separation between church and state when they adopted Amendment I. In that letter he said, “…religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God.”
Further Reading
Did you know that The U.S. Constitution is only four pages in length? You can read the transcription here.
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Biographical Sketches of the Signers of The Constitution
Read George Washington’s Farewell Address here.
Read Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptist Association here.
Read about how James Madison originally opposed the Bill of Rights, but then became its author.
Quick reference: Deism, Theism, Agnosticism, and Atheism
What is a Congregational Christian?
What is a Unitarian Universalist and Which Founding Fathers Identified as Such?
The U.S. Presidents and Slavery
George Washington and Ona Judge, who escaped being enslaved in his household.
Re: George and Martha Washington, Owners of Enslaved People
How Benjamin Rush encouraged Thomas Paine to write Common Sense