Religion and the U.S. Constitution
Religion and the U.S. Constitution
HIST 121 - American History to 1877
May 2008
THESIS:
The Constitution reflects our founder’s views of a secular government, protecting the freedom of any belief or unbelief. Some will argue religion, specifically Christianity, played a large role in the creation of this great nation’s government, the United States Constitution; however the facts reveal otherwise. The historian, Robert Middlekauff, observed, "the idea that the Constitution expressed a moral view seems absurd. There were no genuine evangelicals in the Convention, and there were no heated declarations of Christian piety."1
INTRODUCTION:
When the Constitution was submitted to the American public, many people complained the document had slighted God, for it contained "no recognition of his mercies to us ...or even of his existence." Religion was left out of the Constitution for two reasons: first, many delegates were committed federalists, who believed that the power to legislate on religion, if it existed at all, lay within the domain of the state, not the national, governments; second, the delegates believed that it would be a deliberate mistake to introduce such a politically controversial issue as religion into the Constitution. The only "religious clause" in the document--the proscription of religious tests as qualifications for federal office in Article Six--was intended to defuse controversy by disarming potential critics who might claim religious discrimination in eligibility for public office.
The Constitution dealt with the church precisely as the Articles had, thereby maintaining, at the national level, the religious status quo. In neither document did the people yield any explicit power to act in the field of religion.
GEORGE WASHINGTON: Much of the myth of Washington 's alleged Christianity came from Mason Weems influential book, "Life of Washington." The story of the cherry tree comes from
HIST 121 - American History to 1877
May 2008
THESIS:
The Constitution reflects our founder’s views of a secular government, protecting the freedom of any belief or unbelief. Some will argue religion, specifically Christianity, played a large role in the creation of this great nation’s government, the United States Constitution; however the facts reveal otherwise. The historian, Robert Middlekauff, observed, "the idea that the Constitution expressed a moral view seems absurd. There were no genuine evangelicals in the Convention, and there were no heated declarations of Christian piety."1
INTRODUCTION:
When the Constitution was submitted to the American public, many people complained the document had slighted God, for it contained "no recognition of his mercies to us ...or even of his existence." Religion was left out of the Constitution for two reasons: first, many delegates were committed federalists, who believed that the power to legislate on religion, if it existed at all, lay within the domain of the state, not the national, governments; second, the delegates believed that it would be a deliberate mistake to introduce such a politically controversial issue as religion into the Constitution. The only "religious clause" in the document--the proscription of religious tests as qualifications for federal office in Article Six--was intended to defuse controversy by disarming potential critics who might claim religious discrimination in eligibility for public office.
The Constitution dealt with the church precisely as the Articles had, thereby maintaining, at the national level, the religious status quo. In neither document did the people yield any explicit power to act in the field of religion.
GEORGE WASHINGTON: Much of the myth of Washington 's alleged Christianity came from Mason Weems influential book, "Life of Washington." The story of the cherry tree comes from
References: Boston, R. (1993). Why the Religious Right is Wrong About Separation of Church & State, Prometheus Books. Gay, K. (1992). Church and State, The Millbrook Press. Handy, R. T. (1997). A History of the Churches in U.S. and Canada, New York: Oxford University Press. Kock, A., ed. (1965). The American Enlightenment: The Shaping of the American Experiment and a Free Society, New York: George Braziller. Middlekauff, R. (1982). The Glorious Cause, Oxford University Press. Peterson, M. D. (1984). Thomas Jefferson Writings, The Library of America. Remsburg, J. E. Six Historic Americans, The Truth Seeker Company, New York. Roche, O.I.A., ed (1964). The Jefferson Bible: with the Annotated Commentaries on Religion of Thomas Jefferson, Clarkson N. Potter, Inc. Seldes, George, ed. (1967) The Great Quotations, Pocket Books, New York.