Congress

The Articles of Association, Continental Congress, October 20, 1774

May 22, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

The Continental Congress October 20, 1774 In this declaration resolved to boycott British tea and launch several other acts of protest. Unlike the later Declaration of Independence, these articles (In the preamble) specifically cite the Quebec Act, which many patriots criticized for allowing religious freedom for Catholics In Quebec. They feared the Catholics would lead a charge against the Protestant colonies: “thus, by the influence of civil principles and ancient prejudices, to dispose the inhabitants to act with hostility against…

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Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, Declaration of Rights

May 22, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

January 1, 1776 This Pennsylvania Constitution grants broad religious freedoms to any citizen “who acknowledges the being of a God.” It also provides that conscientious objectors need not serve in the militia, a provision included to accommodate Quakers, who were highly influential in Pennsylvania. Article II. That all men have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences and understanding: And that no man ought or of right can be compelled…

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Message from the Continental Congress to the People of Great Britain, October 21, 1774

May 22, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

Congress October 21, 1774 Congress virulently attacked Great Britain’s Quebec Act, which gave religious freedom to Catholics In Canada. The Continental Congress expressed “astonishment, that a British Parliament should ever consent to establish in that country a religion that has deluged your island in blood, and dispersed bigotry, persecution, murder and rebellion through every part of the world.” Congress soon thereafter realized that Insulting the Canadian Catholics might not be the best way to win their favor or that of…

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Federal Veto of State Laws on Religion, House Debate, August 17, 1789

May 22, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

Congress August 17, 1789 Few people remember that James Madison wanted to give Congress the ability to veto state laws that harmed religious freedom. What follows is the brief debate on this topic. Incredibly, this amendment passed the House but died later in the Senate. The committee then proceeded to the fifth proposition: Article I, Section 10 between the first and second paragraph, insert ‘No state shall infringe the equal rights of conscience, nor the freedom of speech or of…

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Drafts of the First Amendment in Congress, 1789

May 22, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

The First Amendment didn’t go from James Madison’s pen straight to the National Archives. It was the product of legislative wrangling in the House and Senate of the first Congress. Here, without annotation, are the different drafts the lawmakers considered. On June 8, 1789, James Madison proposed a religious freedom amendment to the Constitution: “That in article 1st, section 9, between clauses 3 and 4, be inserted these clauses, to wit: The civil rights of none shall be abridged on…

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Debate on the First Amendment, House of Representatives, August 15, 1789

May 22, 2017 Religious Freedom Archive Comments 0 Comment

Congress August 15, 1789 The most complete record of Congressional debate on the first amendment was in the House of Representatives. In it, you can see James Madison attempting to cobble together a winning majority by assuaging concerns of certain Congressman who feared that this amendment would limit the ability of the states to regulate or support religion. Madison assured them the states would still be free to treat religion as they liked. Aug. 15 The House again went into…

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