Constitutional Period

Letter from John Adams to Samuel Miller, July 8, 1820

May 27, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

John Adams July 8, 1820 Toward the end of his life he recounts his religious explorations and concludes, “I believe with Justin Martyr, that all good men are Christians.” You know not the gratification you have given me by your kind, frank, and candid letter. I must be a very unnatural son to entertain any prejudices against the Calvinists, or Calvinism, according to your confession of faith; for my father and mother, my uncles and aunts, and all my predecessors,…

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Diary of John Adams, July 25 1796

May 27, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

John Adams July 25, 1796 Tom Paine had become a leading Deist, arguing against the infallibility of the Bible. Cloudy and begins to rain, the Wind at N.E. The Men gone up the Hill to rake the Barley. In conformity to the fashion I drank this Morning and Yesterday Morning, about a Jill of Cyder. It seems to do me good, by diluting and dissolving the Phlegm or the Bile in the Stomach. The Christian Religion is, above all the…

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Diary of John Adams, August 14, 1796

May 27, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

John Adams August 14, 1796 Adams lays out the mechanics of why religion is particularly effective at promoting morality. The Weather hot and dry. One great Advantage of the Christian Religion is that it brings the great Principle of the Law of Nature and Nations, Love your Neighbour as yourself, and do to others as you would that others should do to you, to the Knowledge, Belief and Veneration of the whole People. Children, Servants, Women and Men are all…

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Who Are the Best Keepers of the People’s Liberties? By James Madison, 1792

May 27, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

James Madison December 22, 1792 In what was otherwise a political polemic, Madison writes a few sentences (the 7th paragraph) that express a personal belief about faith: that humans have little capacity to understand God’s plan. National Gazette, December 22, 1792 Republican. — The people themselves. The sacred trust can be no where so safe as in the hands most interested in preserving it. Anti-republican. — The people are stupid, suspicious, licentious. They cannot safely trust themselves. When they have established government they…

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James Madison Comments at Virginia Ratifying Convention, April 12, 1785

May 27, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

James Madison June 12, 1788 In the Virginia convention called to consider ratification of the Constitution, opponents such as Patrick Henry argued that the Constitution would allow creation of a national religion or other forms of state involvement in religion. James Madison returned to Virginia to rebut the arguments himself, claiming that a Bill of Rights was not needed because the Constitution did not give Congress powers to regular religion. The honorable member has introduced the subject of religion. Religion…

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Letter from James Madison to Edward Livingston, July 10, 1822

May 27, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

James Madison July 10, 1822 As an old man, Madison wrote that the separation of church and state had led to an improvement in the quality and vitality of religion. He warned that many people still inclined toward the “old error” of creating alliances between government and religion. “The danger cannot be too carefully guarded agst.,” he said. observe with particular pleasure the view you have taken of the immunity of Religion from civil jurisdiction, in every case where it…

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Bill of Rights Amendments Offered in Congress by James Madison, June 8, 1789

May 27, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

James Madison June 8, 1789 James Madison initially argued that a Bill of Rights was unnecessary. But in his first race for Congress, he promised he would propose a Bill of Rights, including a provision for religious freedom. He kept his promise. On June 8, 1789, he went to the floor of the House and proposed amendments to be embedded throughout the original constitution, rather than as a separate Bill of Rights. His proposal included language that would evolve into…

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Washington’s Farewell Address 1796

May 24, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

George Washington January 1, 1796 In this famous address, he criticizes the spirit of faction that erupted among his colleagues. In terms of religion, the key paragraph is two thirds of the way down, starting, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” He declared that it would be literally unpatriotic to attack religion and suggested that the rule of law would disintegrate without religion because the legal system relies on…

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George Washington’s Letter To The Hebrew Congregations of Philadelphia, Newport, Charleston, and Richmond, January 1, 1790

May 24, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

George Washington January 1, 1790 The liberal sentiment towards each other which marks every political and religious denomination of men in this country stands unrivalled in the history of nations. The affection of such a people is a treasure beyond the reach of calculation; and the repeated proofs which my fellow citizens have given of their attachment to me, and approbation of my doings form the purest source of my temporal felicity. The affectionate expressions of your address again excite…

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Sixth Annual Message of George Washington, November 19, 1794

May 24, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

George Washington November 19, 1794 In the final paragraph, Washington called upon Divine support for his policies opposing the Whiskey Rebellion. Fellow Citizens of the Senate and of the House of Representatives: When we call to mind the gracious indulgence of Heaven by which the American people became a nation; when we survey the general prosperity of our country, and look forward to the riches, power, and happiness to which it seems destined, with the deepest regret do I announce…

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