America's Christian Heritage
Deo Vindice. [Nov 21, 2023]
I’m sure all of you have heard some variation of the idea that America was not founded as a Christian nation. Usually presented by snarky atheists wanting to take a jab at Christians or libertarians engaging in intellectual masturbation over the thought of separation of church and state. Or maybe a combination of the two. Probably a combination of the two.
Either way, this has become a very pervasive myth amongst academics and pseudointellectuals. Most people today either actively support it or are otherwise ambivalent. In fact, the only real resistance comes from Evangelicals (unsurprisingly). Now, as much as I hate to admit it, they often do a very poor job at addressing this myth (as with a few other things; see “A Letter to Evangelicals”) and so today I endeavor to lay out some basic arguments against the myth of America’s secular founding, supported with the original texts. At the end I will also address some common counter arguments used by proponents of this myth
Also shout out to Traditional and his original iFunny post for serving as the starting point for my notes that led to this post!
Initial Colonies
The first place to look for America’s Christian heritage are the initial English settlements of North America. I won’t cover every single colony, but I will provide a few brief excerpts from some of the initial charters.
Roanoke
Just like all English colonies at the time, Roanoke was to be set up in order to Christianize the “heathen lands” and was to be compliant with the religious teachings of the Church of England. As you will see, this trend continues with later colonies as well.
give and grant to our trusty and welbeloved servant Walter Ralegh Esquire, and his heires and assignes [designated heirs] for ever, free liberty & licence from time to time. And at all times for ever hereafter, to discover, search, finde out, and view such remote, heathen and barbarous lands, countries, and territories, not actually possessed of any Christian prince, nor inhabited by Christian people, as to him, his heires and assignes, and to every or any of them shall seeme good
[…]
it shalbe [shall be] necessary for the safety of all men, that shall adventure themselves in those journeyes or voyages, to determine to live together in Christian peace, and civill quietnesse eches [each] with other
[…]
so as they be not against the true Christian faith, nowe professed in the Church of England, nor in any wise to withdrawe any of the subjects or people of those lands or places from allegance of us, our heires and successours, as their immediate Soveraigne under God….
Jamestown
Similarly, Jamestown was also founded with the goal of Christianizing America in mind.
to deduce a colony of sundry of our People into that part of America commonly called VIRGINIA, and other parts and Territories in America, either appertaining unto us, or which are not now actually possessed by any Christian Prince or People
[…]
We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government: DO, by these our Letters Patents, graciously accept of, and agree to, their humble and well-intended Desires;
Plymouth
Unsurprisingly, the Pilgrims (Separatist Puritans) were seeking to found a religious settlement.
Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one of another
Conclusion
The importance of Christianity in the earliest American colonies is quite obvious, which is probably why people generally don’t contest it. Typically, they say that the religious values of the earliest colonies did not continue into the early American Republic. We’ll be addressing the idea that Christianity wasn’t important in the American Republic momentarily, but for now I want to drive home the importance of these charters (and all similar ones) in contextualizing the relationship between Christianity and America.
For a very long time, the early American colonies were a hotbed of Christianity, specifically Protestant Christianity. English settlements were most commonly Anglican, but not always. As with Plymouth, some of the more radical and outcast Protestant of Europe would emigrate to the colonies as the fled persecution (generally Catholic or Anglican) and the King was generally all too happy to allow these groups to travel to the colonies, because it rid him of the nuisance of groups like the Puritans and later the Quakers. By allowing these problematic groups to travel to America, the King was also able to secure a fairly consistent supply of people to found new colonies or replenish declining populations.
Now, with so many diverse doctrines in America, conflict between these religious groups was not at all uncommon. For example: a Quaker preaching in a Puritan town was often at risk of jail time (in fact many preachers would preach from within their jail cell), deportation, or even execution. As revolutionary tensions grew, many Anglicans were also subject to increased pressure from other Protestant groups due to their connection to England, and eventually had to “rebrand” and change a number of practices until they eventually became what we know today as Episcopalians. Many of these conflicts also had historical roots from the European Wars of Religion which only served to fan the flames.
This was the environment that the state and federal legislature regarding “the separation of church and state” and “freedom of religion” grew in. Separating church and state was not done in an effort to remove Christians from power (in fact, as we will discuss later, they were encouraged into positions of power) but was instead intended to prevent one denomination from exerting power over another. Similarly, the freedom of religion was necessary to protect the religious rights of these groups from persecution. For example: Part the First, Article III of the 1780 Constitution of Massachusetts states:
And every denomination of Christians, demeaning themselves peaceably and as good subjects of the commonwealth, shall be equally under the protection of the law; and no subordination of any sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law.
The 13 Colonies
Religiosity played a major role in the founding documents of the 13 Colonies as well, and this trend generally continued into their transformation into the original states. The specific details of each colony’s enshrinement of Christianity vary between each colony, but all of the 13 Colonies do clearly profess Christianity. Some went so far as to only give rights to Christians, and others went even further and gave Protestants certain privileges over other religions.
I should note, however, that most of the very first constitutions written by the 13 Colonies made no mention of Christianity, however this has much more to do with their bare bones nature than anything else. Most of the constitutions written during the Revolutionary War were incredibly short (sometimes under 1,000 words) and were more about declaring their independence from Britain and establishing the existence of certain branches of government that actually dictated how those branches were to operate. For the most part, the first “real” state constitutions came about in the 1780s and it is these constitutions (which were often written by the same people as the earlier constitution) that I will generally be relying on the most.
New Hampshire
Original agreement binds settlers under Christian laws and the grace of Christ.
Whereas it hath pleased the Lord to move the Heart of our dread Sovereigns Charles by the Grace of God King &c. to grant Licence and Libertye to sundry of his subjects to plant themselves in the Westerlle parts of America. We his loyal Subjects Brethern of the Church in Exeter situate and lying upon the River Pascataqua with other Inhabitants there, considering with ourselves the holy Will of God and o'er own Necessity that we should not live without wholesomne Lawes and Civil Government among us of which we are altogether destitute; do in the name of Christ and in the sight of God combine ourselves together to erect and set up among us such Government as shall be to our best discerning agreeable to the Will of God professing ourselves Subjects to our Sovereign Lord King Charles according to the Libertyes of our English Colony of Massachusetts, and binding of ourselves solemnly by the Grace and Help of Christ and in His Name and fear to submit ourselves to such Godly and Christian Lawes as are established in the realm of England to our best Knowledge, and to all other such Lawes which shall upon good grounds be made and enacted among us according to God that we may live quietly and peaceably together in all godliness and honesty. Mo. 8. D. 4. 1639 as attests our Hands.
The New Hampshire State Constitution established state funding for Protestant churches, and also required all state senators, representatives, and the governor to be Protestant in order to hold office.
VI. As morality and piety, rightly grounded on evangelical principles, will give the best and greatest security to government, and will lay in the hearts of men the strongest obligations to due subjection; and as the knowledge of these, is most likely to be propagated through a society by the institution of the public worship of the Deity, and of public instruction in morality and religion; therefore, to promote those important purposes, the people of this state have a right to impower, and do hereby fully impower the legislature to authorize from time to time, the several towns, parishes, bodies-corporate, or religious societies within this state, to make adequate provision at their own expence, for the support and maintenance of public protestant teachers of piety, religion and morality:
[…]
Provided nevertheless, That no person shall be capable of being elected a senator, who is not of the protestant religion, and seized of a freehold estate in his own right of the value of two hundred pounds, lying within this state, who is not of the age of thirty years, and who shall not have been an inhabitant of this state for seven years immediately preceding his election; and at the time thereof he shall be an inhabitant of the district for which he shall be chosen.
[…]
All persons qualified to vote in the election of senators shall be intitled to vote within the town, district, parish, or place where they dwell, in the choice of representatives. Every member of the house of representatives shall be chosen by ballot; and for two years at least next preceding his election, shall have been an inhabitant of this state, shall have an estate within the town, parish, or place which he may be chosen to represent, of the value of one hundred pounds, one half of which to be a freehold, whereof he is seized in his own right; shall be at the time of his election, an inhabitant of the town, parish, or place he may be chosen to represent; shall be of the protestant religion, and shall cease to represent such town, parish, or place immediately on his ceasing to be qualified as aforesaid.
[…]
The President [governor] shall be chosen annually; and no person shall be eligible to this office, unless at the time of his election, he shall have been an inhabitant of this state for seven years next preceding, and unless he shall be of the age of thirty years; and unless he shall, at the same time, have an estate of the value of five hundred pounds, one half of which shall consist of a freehold, in his own right, within the state; and unless he shall be of the Protestant religion.
Massachusetts
The original charter granted religious freedom to Protestants exclusively, and explicitly states converting natives as a goal of the colony.
Our heires and Successors Grant Establish and Ordaine that for ever hereafter there shall be a liberty of Conscience allowed in the Worshipp of God to all Christians (Except Papists) Inhabiting or which shall Inhabit or be Resident within our said Province or Territory
[…]
Subjects inhabitants of our said Province may be Religiously peaceably and Civilly Governed Protected and Defended soe as their good life and orderly Conversation may win the Indians Natives of the Country to the knowledge and obedience of the onely true God and Saviour of Mankinde and the Christian Faith
Constitution grants religious freedom to Christians exclusively, establishes state funding for Protestant churches, and requires all office holders to declare belief in Christianity.
Art. II. It is the right as well as the duty of all men in society, publicly and at stated seasons, to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience, or for his religious profession or sentiments, provided he doth not disturb the public peace or obstruct others in their religious worship.
Art. III. As the happiness of a people and the good order and preservation of civil government essentially depend upon piety, religion, and morality, and as these cannot be generally diffcused through a community but by the institution of the public worship of God and of the public instructions in piety, religion, and morality: Therefore, To promote their happiness and to secure the good order and preservation of their government, the people of this commonwealth have a right to invest their legislature with power to authorize and require, and the legislature shall, from time to time, authorize and require, the several towns, parishes, precincts, and other bodies-politic or religious societies to make suitable provision, at their own expense, for the institution of the public worship of God and for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion, and morality in all cases where such provision shall not be made voluntarily.
Article I. Any person chosen governor, lieutenant-governor, councillor, senator, or representative, and accepting the trust, shall, before he proceed to execute the duties of his place or office, make and subscribe the following declaration, viz:
"I, A.B., do declare that I believe the Christian religion, and have a firm persuasion of its truth; and that I am seized and possessed, in my own right, of the property required by the constitution, as one qualification for the office or place to which I am elected."
New York
Officially Dutch Reformist from its founding in 1614 until the English won it in 1664.
The established church in Holland was the Reformed. Under the administration of the Dutch West India Company that church was made the official religious organization in the settlements on the Hudson. [...] But the Dutch West India Company, unlike the Dutch government itself, excluded all religions except the Reformed. [...] New Amsterdam became New York and the English governor readily granted the petition of the Lutherans for permission to call their own pastor.1
After the English gained possession of New Amsterdam (New York), new laws were put in place to make the colony more tolerant of opposing religious views. These laws only applied to Christians.
10. That no Congregations shall be disturbed in their private meetings in the time of prayer preaching or other divine Service Nor shall any person be molested fined or Imprisoned for differing in Judgment in matters of Religion who profess Christianity.2
The English charter (1683) said the same thing.
that Noe person or persons which professe ffaith in God by Jesus Christ Shall at any time be any wayes molested punished disquieted or called in Question for Difference in opinion or Matter of Religious Concernment, who doe not actuall disturb the Civill peace of the province
While the New York Constitution is probably the most secular of the 13 Colonies, there are a few things to note about it. First: all previous laws are considered to still be in effect, so long as they don’t allow a particular sect of Christianity to reign supreme (recall how Dutch Reformed dominated New Amsterdam before the English won the colony and renamed it), and second: ministers are not allowed to hold office because their service is too valuable to be diverted (a number of other states had similar laws).
XXXV. And this convention doth further, in the name and by the authority of the good people of this State, ordain, determine, and declare that such parts of the common law of England, and of the statute law of England and Great Britain, and of the acts of the legislature of the colony of New York, as together did form the law of the said colony on the 19th day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, shall be and continue the law of this State, subject to such alterations and provisions as the legislature of this State shall, from time to time, make concerning the same. That such of the said acts, as are temporary, shall expire at the times limited for their duration, respectively. That all such parts of the said common law, and all such of the said statutes and acts aforesaid, or parts thereof, as may be construed to establish or maintain any particular denomination of Christians or their ministers, or concern the allegiance heretofore yielded to, and the supremacy, sovereignty, government, or prerogatives claimed or exercised by, the King of Great Britain and his predecessors, over the colony of New York and its inhabitants, or are repugnant to this constitution, be, and they hereby are, abrogated and rejected. And this convention doth further ordain, that the resolves or resolutions of the congresses of the colony of New York, and of the convention of the State of New York, now in force, and not repugnant to the government established by this constitution, shall be considered as making part of the laws of this State; subject, nevertheless, to such alterations and provisions as the legislature of this State may, from time to time, make concerning the same.
XXXIX. And whereas the ministers of the gospel are, by their profession, dedicated to the service of God and the care of souls, and ought not to be diverted from the great duties of their function; therefore, no minister of the gospel, or priest of any denomination whatsoever, shall, at any time hereafter, under any presence or description whatever, be eligible to, or capable of holding, any civil or military office or place within this State.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island is rather unique in that its 1663 charter was the founding document until 1842, when the first Rhode Island Constitutional Convention was held. Amendments were frequently added to the charter in a similar way one would amend a constitution and so the text of the original charter differs greatly from the 18th and 19th century text.
Regardless, the original charter dictates that the inhabitants seek to spread the Christian faith.
the purchasers and ffree inhabitants of our island, called Rhode-Island, and the rest of the colonie of Providence Plantations, in the Narragansett Bay, in New-England, in America, that they, pursueing, with peaceable and loyall minces, their sober, serious and religious intentions, of goalie edifieing themselves, and one another, in the holie Christian ffaith and worshipp as they were perswaded; together with the gaineing over and conversione of the poore ignorant Indian natives, in those partes of America, to the sincere professione and obedienc of the same ffaith and worship
Historian Issac Amada Cornelison notes that Protestantism was a requirement for office (Rhode Island’s complicated legal history makes it a bit more difficult to track down the primary sources but you get the idea anyways).
Even in the fundamental law of the Province of Rhode Island, a Christian purpose is expressly stated and a particular form of Christianity (Protestantism) was required as a qualification for office.3
Connecticut
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) stated that the goal of the colony was to maintain the liberty and purity of Christianity, which they profess and practice.
enter into Combination and Confederation togather, to mayntayne and prsearue the liberty and purity of the gospell of our Lord Jesus wch we now prfesse, as also the disciplyne of the Churches, wch according to the truth of the said gospell is now practised amongst vs
Connecticut, like Rhode Island, did not write a constitution until a few decades after the Revolutionary War (1818).
New Jersey
New Jersey was initially divided in two separate provinces (East and West Jersey) from 1674 to 1702.
The charter of East Jersey offered religious freedom to Christians exclusively, and disallowed non-Christians from holding office.
XVI. All persons living in the Province who confess and acknowledge the one Almighty and Eternal God, and holds themselves obliged in conscience to live peaceably and quietly in a civil society, shall in no way be molested or prejudged for their religious perswasions and exercise in matters of faith and worship; nor shall they be compelled to frequent and maintain any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever: Yet it is also hereby provided, that no man shall be admitted a member of the great or common Council, or any other place of publick trust, who shall not profaith in Christ Jesus, and solemnly declare that he doth no ways hold himself obliged in conscience to endeavour alteration in the government, or seeks the turning out of any in it or their ruin or prejudice, either in person or estate, because they are in his opinion hereticks, or differ in their judgment from him: Nor by this article is it intended, that any under the notion of this liberty shall allow themselves to avow atheism, irreligiousness, or to practice cursing, swearing, drunkenness, prophaness, whoring, adultery, murdering or any kind of violence, or indulging themselves in stage plays, masks, revells or such like abuses; for restraining such and preserving of the people in deligence and in good order, the great Council is to make more particular laws, which are punctually to be put in execution.
The Fundamental Constitutions for the Province of East New Jersey (1683)
West Jersey offered religious freedom to Christians exclusively.
CHAPTER XVI That no men, nor number of men upon earth, hath power or authority to rule over men's consciences in religious matters, therefore it is consented, agreed and ordained, that no person or persons whatsoever within the said Province, at any time or times hereafter, shall be any ways upon any presence whatsoever, called in question, or in the least punished or hurt, either in person, estate, or priviledge, for the sake of his opinion, judgment, faith or worship towards God in matters of religion. But that all and every such person, and persons may from time to time, and at all times, freely and fully have, and enjoy his and their judgments, and the exercises of their consciences in matters of religious worship throughout all the said Province.
Constitution offered freedom of religion, if you worshiped God and required all office holders to be Protestant.
XVIII. That no person shall ever, within this Colony, be deprived of the inestimable privilege of worshipping Almighty God in a manner, agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; nor, under any presence whatever, be compelled to attend any place of worship, contrary to his own faith and judgment; nor shall any person, within this Colony, ever be obliged to pay tithes, taxes, or any other rates, for the purpose of building or repairing any other church or churches, place or places of worship, or for the maintenance of any minister or ministry, contrary to what he believes to be right, or has deliberately or voluntarily engaged himself to perform.
XIX. That there shall be no establishment of any one religious sect in this Province, in preference to another; and that no Protestant inhabitant of this Colony shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil right, merely on account of his religious principles; but that all persons, professing a belief in the faith of any Protestant sect. who shall demean themselves peaceably under the government, as hereby established, shall be capable of being elected into any office of profit or trust, or being a member of either branch of the Legislature, and shall fully and freely enjoy every privilege and immunity, enjoyed by others their fellow subjects.
Pennsylvania
Charter offered freedom of religion to Christians exclusively and enshrined laws protecting the Sabbath.
XXXV. That all persons living in this province, who confess and acknowledge the one Almighty and eternal God, to be the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the world; and that hold themselves obliged in conscience to live peaceably and justly in civil society, shall, in no ways, be molested or prejudiced for their religious persuasion, or practice, in matters of faith and worship, nor shall they be compelled, at any time, to frequent or maintain any religious worship, place or ministry whatever.
XXXVI. That, according to the good example of the primitive Christians, and the case of the creation, every first day of the week, called the Lord's day, people shall abstain from their common daily labour, that they may the better dispose themselves to worship God according to their understandings.
Constitution required officeholders to be Christian.
SECT. 10. A quorum of the house of representatives shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of members elected; and having met and chosen their speaker, shall each of them before they proceed to business take and subscribe, as well the oath or affirmation of fidelity and allegiance hereinafter directed, as the following oath or affirmation, viz:
I do swear (or affirm) that as a member of this assembly, I will not propose or assent to any bill, vote, or resolution, which stall appear to free injurious to the people; nor do or consent to any act or thing whatever, that shall have a tendency to lessen or abridge their rights and privileges, as declared in the constitution of this state; but will in all things conduct myself as a faithful honest representative and guardian of the people, according to the best of only judgment and abilities.
And each member, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration, viz:
I do believe in one God, the creator and governor of the universe, the rewarder of the good and the punisher of the wicked. And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine inspiration.
And no further or other religious test shall ever hereafter be required of any civil officer or magistrate in this State.
It should also be noted that the restriction on Jews holding public office (note: New Testament) was removed in 1790, but the remaining requirements for a belief in God, Heaven, and Hell all remained into the 20th century.
Delaware
Original Charter granted religious freedom to Christians exclusively, and dictated that only Christians may serve in public office.
I do hereby grant and declare, That no Person or Persons, inhabiting In this Province or Territories, who shall confess and acknowledge One almighty God, the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the World; and professes him or themselves obliged to live quietly under the Civil Government, shall be in any Case molested or prejudiced, in his or their Person or Estate, because of his or their conscientious Persuasion or Practice, nor be compelled to frequent or maintain any religious Worship, Place or Ministry, contrary to his or their Mind, or to do or suffer any other Act or Thing, contrary to their religious Persuasion.
AND that all Persons who also profess to believe in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World, shall be capable (notwithstanding their other Persuasions and Practices in Point of Conscience and Religion) to serve this Government in any Capacity, both legislatively and executively
Constitution stipulated that only Christians may take public office.
ART. 22. Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust, before taking his seat, or entering upon the execution of his office, shall take the following oath, or affirmation, if conscientiously scrupulous of taking an oath, to wit:
"I, A B. will bear true allegiance to the Delaware State, submit to its constitution and laws, and do no act wittingly whereby the freedom thereof may be prejudiced."
And also make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit:
"I, A B. do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."
And all officers shall also take an oath of office.
Maryland
Charter explicitly commands the expansion of the Christian religion.
II. Whereas our well beloved and right trusty Subject Caecilius Calvert, Baron of Baltimore, in our Kingdom of Ireland, Son and Heir of George Calvert, Knight, late Baron of Baltimore, in our said Kingdom of Ireland, treading in the steps of his Father, being animated with a laudable, and pious Zeal for extending the Christian Religion, and also the Territories of our Empire, hath humbly besought Leave of us, that he may transport, by his own Industry, and Expense, a numerous Colony of the English Nation, to a certain Region, herein after described, in a Country hitherto uncultivated, in the Parts of America, and partly occupied by Savages, having no knowledge of the Divine Being, and that all that Region, with some certain Privileges, and Jurisdiction, appertaining unto the wholesome Government, and State of his Colony and Region aforesaid, may by our Royal Highness be given, granted and confirmed unto him, and his Heirs.
Original constitution offered religious liberty for Christians and Christians alone, while also allowing the government to lay a tax to support Christianity and required all elected officials to be Christians.
XXXIII. That, as it is the duty of every man to worship God in such manner as he thinks most acceptable to him; all persons, professing the Christian religion, are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty; wherefore no person ought by any law to be molested in his person or estate on account of his religious persuasion or profession, or for his religious practice; unless, under colour of religion, any man shall disturb the good order, peace or safety of the State, or shall infringe the laws of morality, or injure others, in their natural, civil, or religious rights; nor ought any person to be compelled to frequent or maintain, or contribute, unless on contract, to maintain any particular place of worship, or any particular ministry; yet the Legislature may, in their discretion, lay a general and equal tax for the support of the Christian religion; leaving to each individual the power of appointing the payment over of the money, collected from him, to the support of any particular place of worship or minister, or for the benefit of the poor of his own denomination, or the poor in general of any particular county: but the churches, chapels, globes, and all other property now belonging to the church of England, ought to remain to the church of England forever
XXXV. That no other test or qualification ought to be required, on admission to any office of trust or profit, than such oath of support and fidelity to this State, and such oath of office, as shall be directed by this Convention or the Legislature of this State, and a declaration of a belief in the Christian religion.
LV. That every person, appointed to any office of profit or trust, shall, before he enters on the execution thereof, take the following oath; to wit :-" I, A. B., do swear, that I do not hold myself bound in allegiance to the King of Great Britain, and that I will be faithful, and bear true allegiance to the State of Maryland; " and shall also subscribe a declaration of his belief in the Christian religion
Virginia
Charter dictates missionary work as a fundamental goal.
We, greatly commending, and graciously accepting of, their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of his Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God, and may in time bring the Infidels and Savages, living in those parts, to human Civility, and to a settled and quiet Government: DO, by these our Letters Patents, graciously accept of, and agree to, their humble and well-intended Desires;
Constitution offered religious freedom to Christians exclusively.
SEC. 16. That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.
Carolina(s)
The Carolinas were previously one province (1663-1712) before being split into North and South Carolina, so there is only one charter and two constitutions.
Charter states that Carolina was founded to expand the Christian religion, and that the Anglican Church was the official religion.
1st. Whereas our right trusty, and right well beloved cousins and counsellors, Edward Earl of Clarendon, our high chancellor of England, and George Duke of Albemarle, master of our horse and captain general of all our forces, our right trusty and well beloved William Lord Craven, John Lord Berkley, our right trusty and well beloved counsellor, Anthony Lord Ashley, chancellor of our exchequer, Sir George Carteret, knight and baronet, vice chamberlain of our household, and our trusty and well beloved Sir William Berkley, knight, and Sir John Colleton, knight and baronet, being excited with a laudable and pious zeal for the propagation of the Christian faith, and the enlargement of our empire and dominions, have humbly besought leave of us, by their industry and charge, to transport and make an ample colony of our subjects, natives of our kingdom of England, and elsewhere within our dominions, unto a certain country hereafter described, in the parts of America not yet cultivated or planted, and only inhabited by some barbarous people, who have no knowledge of Almighty God.
3d. And furthermore, the patronage and advowsons of all the churches and chappels, which as Christian religion shall increase within the country, isles, islets and limits aforesaid, shall happen hereafter to be erected, together with license and power to build and found churches, chappels and oratories, in convenient and fit places, within the said bounds and limits, and to cause them to be dedicated and consecrated according to the ecclesiastical laws of our kingdom of England, together with all and singular the like, and as ample rights, jurisdictions, priviledges, prerogatives, royalties, liberties, immunities and franchises of what kind soever, within the countries, isles, islets and limits aforesaid.
(North Carolina) Constitution offered religious freedom to Christians exclusively, and required all office holders to declare the Christian faith (more specifically the Protestant faith) to be true.
XIX. That all men have a natural and unalienable right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences.
XXXII. That no person, who shall deny the being of God or the truth of the Protestant religion, or the divine authority either of the Old or New Testaments, or who shall hold religious principles incompatible with the freedom and safety of the State, shall be capable of holding any office or place of trust or profit in the civil department within this State.
(South Carolina) Constitution dictated that only Protestants may hold office, offered religious freedom to Protestants exclusively, and established Protestantism as the official religion (this one is REALLY wordy).
III. That as soon as may be after the first meeting of the senate and house of representatives, and at every first meeting of the senate and house of representatives thereafter, to be elected by virtue of this constitution, they shall jointly in the house of representatives choose by ballot from among themselves or from the people at large a governor and commander-in-chief, a lieutenant-governor, both to continue for two years, and a privy council, all of the Protestant religion, and till such choice shall be made the former president or governor and commander-in-chief, and vice-president or lieutenant-governor, as the case may be, and privy council, shall continue to act as such.
XII. That each parish and district throughout this State shall on the last Monday in November next and the day followings and on the same days of every succeeding year thereafter, elect by ballot one member of the senate, except the district of Saint Philip and Saint Michael's parishes, Charleston, which shall elect two members; and except also the district between Broad and Saluda Rivers, in three divisions, viz: the Lower district, the Little River district, and the Upper or Spartan district, each of which said divisions shall elect one member; and except the parishes of Saint Matthew and Orange, which shall elect one member; and also except the parishes of Prince George and All Saints, which shall elect one member; and the election of senators for such parishes, respectively, shall, until otherwise altered by the legislature, be at the parish of Prince George for the said parish and the parish of All Saints, and at the parish of Saint Matthew for that parish and the parish of Orange; to meet on the first Monday in January then next, at the seat of government, unless the casualties of war or contagious disorders should render it unsafe to meet there, in which case the governor and commander-in-chief for the time being may, by proclamation, with the advice and consent of the privy council, appoint a more secure and convenient place of meeting; and to continue for two years from the said last Monday in November; and that no person shall be eligible to a seat in the said senate unless he be of the Protestant religion, and hath attained the age of thirty years, and hath been a resident in this State at least five years. Not less than thirteen members shall be a quorum to do business but the president or any three members may adjourn from day to day. No person who resides in the parish or district for which he is elected shall take his seat in the senate, unless he possess a settled estate and freehold in his own right in the said parish or district of the value of two thousand pounds currency at least, clear of debt; and no non-resident shall be eligible to a seat in the said senate unless he is owner of a settled estate and freehold in his own right, in the parish or district where he is elected, of the value of seven thousand pounds currency at least, also clear of debt.
XIII. That on the last Monday in November next and the day following, and on the same days of every second year thereafter, members of the house of representatives shall be chosen, to meet on the first Monday in January then next, at the seat of Government, unless the casualties of war or contagious disorders should render it unsafe to meet there, in which case the governor and commander-in-chief for the time being may, by proclamation, with the advice and consent of the privy council, appoint a more secure-and convenient place of meeting, and to continue for two years from the said last Monday in November. Each parish and district within this State shall send members to the general assembly in the following proportions; that is to say, the parish of Saint Philip and Saint Michael's, Charleston, thirty members; the parish of Christ Church, six members; the parish of Saint John's, in Berkely County, six members; the parish of Saint Andrew, six members; the parish of Saint George, Dorchester, six members; the parish of Saint James, Goose Creek, six members; the parish of Saint Thomas and Saint Dennis, six members; the parish of Saint Paul, six members; the parish of Saint Bartholomew, six members; the parish of Saint Helena, six members; the parish of Saint James, Santee, six members; the parish of Prince George, Winyaw, four members; the parish of All Saints, two members; the parish of Prince Frederick, six members; the parish of Saint John, in Colleton County, six members; the parish of Saint Peter, six members; the parish of Prince William, six members; the parish of Saint Stephen, six members; the district to the eastward of Wateree River, ten members; the district of Ninety-six, ten members; the district of Saxe Gotha, six members; the district between Broad and Saluda Rivers, in three divisions, viz: the lower district, four members; the Little River district, four members; the IJpper or Spartan district, four members; the district between Broad and Catawba Rivers, ten members; the district called the New Acquisition, ten members; the parish of Saint Matthew, three members; the parish of Orange, three members; the parish of Saint David, six members; the district between the Savannah River and the North Fork of Edisto, six members. And the election of the said members shall be conducted as near as may be agreeable to the directions of the present or any future election act or acts, and where there are no churches or church-wardens in a district or parish, the house of representatives, at some convenient time before their expiration, shall appoint places of election and persons to receive votes and make returns. The qualification of electors shall be that every free white man, and no other person, who acknowledges the being of a God, and believes in a future state of rewards and punishments, and who has attained to the age of one and twenty years, and hath been a resident and an inhabitant in this State for the space of one whole year before the day appointed for the election he offers to give his vote at, and hath a freehold at least of fifty acres of land, or a town lot, and hath been legally seized and possessed of the same at least six months previous to such election, or hath paid a tax the preceding year, or was taxable the present year, at least six months previous to the said election, in a sum equal to the tax on fifty acres of land, to the support of this government, shall be deemed a person qualified to vote for, and shall be capable of electing, a representative or representatives to serve as a member or members in the senate and house of representatives, for the parish or district where he actually is a resident, or in any other parish or district in this State where he hath the like freehold. Electors shall take an oath or affirmation of qualification, if required by the returning officer. No person shall be eligible to sit in the house of representatives unless he be of the Protestant religion, and hath been a resident in this State for three years previous to his election. The qualification of the elected, if residents in the parish or district for which they shall be returned, shall be the same as mentioned in the election act, and construed to mean clear of debt. But no non-resident shall be eligible to a seat in the house of representatives unless he is owner of a settled estate and freehold in his own right of the value of three thousand and five hundred pounds currency at least, clear of debt, in the parish or district for which he is elected.
XXXVIII. That all persons and religious societies who acknowledge that there is one God, and a future state of rewards and punishments, and that God is publicly to be worshipped, shall be freely tolerated. The Christian Protestant religion shall be deemed, and is hereby constituted and declared to be, the established religion of this State. That all denominations of Christian Protestants in this State, demeaning themselves peaceably and faithfully, shall enjoy equal religious and civil privileges. To accomplish this desirable purpose without injury to the religious property of those societies of Christians which are by law already incorporated for the purpose of religious worship, and to put it fully into the power of every other society of Christian Protestants, either already formed or hereafter to be formed, to obtain the like incorporation, it is hereby constituted, appointed, and declared that the respective societies of the Church of England that are already formed in this State for the purpose of religious worship shall still continue incorporate and hold the religious property now in their possession. And that whenever fifteen or more male persons, not under twenty-one years of age, professing the Christian Protestant religion, and agreeing to unite themselves In a society for the purposes of religious worship, they shall, (on complying with the terms hereinafter mentioned,) be, and be constituted a church, and be esteemed and regarded in law as of the established religion of the State, and on a petition to the legislature shall be entitled to be incorporated and to enjoy equal privileges. That every society of Christians so formed shall give themselves a name or denomination by which they shall be called and known in law, and all that associate with them for the purposes of worship shall be esteemed as belonging to the society so called. But that previous to the establishment and incorporation of the respective societies of every denomination as aforesaid, and in order to entitle them thereto, each society so petitioning shall have agreed to and subscribed in a book the following five articles, without which no agreement fir union of men upon presence of religion shall entitle them to be incorporated and esteemed as a church of the established religion of this State:
1st. That there is one eternal God, and a future state of rewards and punishments.
2d. That God is publicly to be worshipped.
3d. That the Christian religion is the true religion
4th. That the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are of divine inspiration, and are the rule of faith and practice.
5th. That it is lawful and the duty of every man being thereunto called by those that govern, to bear witness to the truth.
And that every inhabitant of this State, when called to make an appeal to God as a witness to truth, shall be permitted to do it in that way which is most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience. And that the people of this State may forever enjoy the right of electing their own pastors or clergy, and at the same time that the State may have sufficient security for the due discharge of the pastoral office, by those who shall be admitted to be clergymen, no person shall officiate as minister of any established church who shall not have been chosen by a majority of the society to which he shall minister, or by persons appointed by the said majority, to choose and procure a minister for them; nor until the minister so chosen and appointed shall have made and subscribed to the following declaration, over and above the aforesaid five articles, viz: "That he is determined by God's grace out of the holy scriptures, to instruct the people committed to his charge, and to teach nothing as required of necessity to eternal salvation but that which he shall be persuaded may be concluded and proved from the scripture; that he will use both public and private admonitions, as well to the sick as to the whole within his cure, as need shall require and occasion shall be given, and that he will be diligent in prayers, and in reading of the same; that he will be diligent to frame and fashion his own self and his family according to the doctrine of Christ, and to make both himself and them, as much as in him lieth, wholesome examples and patterns to the flock of Christ; that he will maintain and set forwards, as much as he can, quietness, peace, and love among all people, and especially among those that are or shall be committed to lids charge. No person shall disturb or molest any religious assembly; nor shall use any reproachful, reviling, or abusive language against any church, that being the certain way of disturbing the peace, and of hindering the conversion of any to the truth, by engaging them in quarrels and animosities, to the hatred of the professors, and that profession which otherwise they might be brought to assent to. To person whatsoever shall speak anything in their religious assembly irreverently or seditiously of the government of this State. No person shall, by law, be obliged to pay towards the maintenance and support of a religious worship that he does not freely join in, or has not voluntarily engaged to support. But the churches, chapels, parsonages, globes, and all other property now belonging to any societies of the Church of England, or any other religious societies, shall remain and be secured to them forever. The poor shall be supported, and elections managed in the accustomed manner, until laws shall be provided to adjust those matters in the most equitable way.
Georgia
Charter offered freedom of religion, if you worshiped God, and were not a Catholic.
And for the greater ease and encouragement of our loving subjects and such others as shall come to inhabit in our said colony, we do by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, grant, establish and ordain, that forever hereafter, there shall be a liberty of conscience allowed in the worship of God, to all persons inhabiting, or which shall inhabit or be resident within our said provinces and that all such persons, except papists, shall have a free exercise of their religion
Constitution required elected officials to be Protestant.
ART. VI. The representatives shall be chosen out of the residents in each county, who shall have resided at least twelve months in this State, and three months in the county where they shall be elected; except the freeholders of the counties of Glynn and Camden, who are in a state of alarm, and who shall have the liberty of choosing one member each, as specified in the articles of this constitution, in any other county, until they have residents sufficient to qualify them for more; and they shall be of the Protestent religion, and of the age of twenty-one years, and shall be possessed in their own right of two hundred and fifty acres of land, or some property to the amount of two hundred and fifty pounds.
Revolutionary Zeal
The American Revolution was rife with Christian symbolism and its leaders were all, at least nominally, Christian. In fact, about three-quarters of the framers of the Constitution were Anglican laymen.4
In 1775 and 1776, Continental Congress issued decrees ordering churches to fast and pray on behalf of the American cause.5
The popularity of Deism is also extremely overblown by most academics. Only a handful of the Founders displayed Deist leanings, notably: Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Paine. Even then, none of these individuals are exactly orthodox Deists. Regardless, these men all generally supported Protestantism in America and regularly attended church services. Jefferson himself also generously donated to a wide range of Protestant churches throughout his life.
Conversely, a number of highly orthodox Christians served as founders, namely: Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Jay, Roger Sherman, and John Witherspoon.
As you would expect, this is a very nuanced and complicated topic. Nonetheless, it would be erroneous to say that the Revolution was not heavily inspired by Christianity. For further reading, I recommend this article.
Later Periods
This post is already long enough, so I won’t go into nearly as much detail about the remaining states. Instead, I will outline some broad trends to contextualize things for you.
Starting around 1790, some states (not very many though) began to amend their constitutions to alter or remove the religious requirements to hold office. Generally, this was done to allow Catholics and Jews into office, as the two groups had been campaigning for this right for around a decade. States would (for the most part) continue to secularize their constitutions throughout the 19th century, though at a very slow pace.
Newly admitted states generally wrote constitutions similar to those of the 13 Colonies (variously requiring office holders to be Christian/Protestant, offering religious protections only to Christians/Protestants, etc.) and similarly secularized their constitutions over the course of the 19th century.
There are, however, a few notable exceptions.
As mentioned previously, Pennsylvania required officeholders to profess a belief in God, Heaven, and Hell into the 20th century.
Until 1965, Connecticut only offered religious freedom to Christians.
Sec. 1. It being the duty of all men to worship the Supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the Universe, and their right to render that worship, in the mode most consistent with the dictates of their consciences; no person shall by law be compelled to join or support, nor be classed with, or associated to, any congregation, church or religious association. But every person now belonging to such congregation, church, or religious association, shall remain a member thereof, until he shall have separated himself therefrom, in the manner hereinafter provided. And each and every society or denomination of christians in this state, shall have and enjoy the same and equal powers, rights and privileges; and shall have power and authority to support and maintain the ministers or teachers of their respective denominations, and to build and repair houses for public worship, by a tax on the members of any such society only, to be laid by a major vote of the legal voters assembled at any society meeting, warned and held according to law, or in any other manner.
South Carolina still requires office holders to profess belief in “the Supreme Being”
SECTION 2. Person denying existence of Supreme Being not to hold office.
No person who denies the existence of the Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution. (1972 (57) 3181; 1973 (58) 83.)
Religion and the Federal Government
Unlike state governments, the federal government was never allowed to require specific religious tests or oaths to take office. Nonetheless, religious imagery continues to adorn elements of our federal government as well as monuments (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln) around the capital.
“In God We Trust” has been the motto of the United States since 1956, much to the chagrin of proponents of secularism. “In God We Trust” was made the motto of the United States (which used to be “E pluribus unum” [Out of Many, One]) as a response to the atheism of the USSR. Many historians like to say that this is entirely a reactionary movement, rooted only in the atmosphere of the Cold War. They’re wrong though. The first known example of this motto was actually in Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania militia, one of which had the motto on their flag.6 “In God We Trust” is also seen in the poem Defence of Fort M’Henry by Francis Scott Key, from which our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner comes from.
Defence of Fort M'Henry O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight O'er the ramparts we watch'd were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket's red glare, the bomb bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there, O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes, What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep, As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses? Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, In full glory reflected now shines in the stream, 'Tis the star-spangled banner - O long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! And where is that band who so vauntingly swore, That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion A home and a Country should leave us no more? Their blood has wash'd out their foul footstep's pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave, And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation! Blest with vict'ry and peace may the heav'n rescued land Praise the power that hath made and preserv'd us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto - "In God is our trust," And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Not only that, but “In God We Trust” had been engraved on coinage during the Civil War.7 The reaction to this was generally quite positive, and the negative press it did receive was actually because people felt that the motto “In God We Trust” should not be put on money, as it was irreverent! In fact, Teddy Roosevelt echoed such sentiment in 1907:
"My own feeling in the matter is due to my very firm conviction that to put such a motto on coins, or to use it in any kindred manner, not only does no good, but does positive harm, and is in effect irreverence, which comes dangerously close to sacrilege. ... Any use which tends to cheapen it, and, above all, any use which tends to secure its being treated in a spirit of levity, is from every standpoint profoundly to be regretted. ... it seems to me eminently unwise to cheapen such a motto by use on coins ... In all my life I have never heard any human being speak reverently of this motto on the coins or show any signs of its having appealed to any high emotion in him, but I have literally, hundreds of times, heard it used as an occasion of and incitement to ... sneering ... Every one must remember the innumerable cartoons and articles based on phrases like 'In God we trust for the 8 cents,' ... Surely, I am well within bounds when I say that a use of the phrase which invites constant levity of this type is most undesirable."
Similar to how many secularists decry “In God We Trust” as an ahistorical reaction to Communism, you will also hear them talk about how the “Under God” line in the Pledge of Allegiance was added in 1954 as a reaction to Communist atheism. Again, true but not entirely so. Illinois attorney Louis Albert Bowman was the first to suggest the phrase be added, and he cited Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address as his inspiration.
Snopes Fact Check Rating: Not quite, libtard!
Finally, I’d like to reiterate what I said earlier about the separation of Church and State being more about preventing intra-Christian conflict than it was about secularizing the government. Many of you have probably heard to infamous line from Thomas Jefferson about how the Establishment Clause is a “wall of separation between Church & State” but it actually comes from a letter he wrote in response to the Danbury Baptists… who had petitioned him to maintain the Establishment Clause!8 The Danbury Baptists were a disenfranchised group who were being persecuted by larger denominations and were hoping to get sympathy from Jefferson (which they got). Lol.
Conclusion
Here are a few bullet points to keep in mind:
The original English colonies were founded, in part, to spread Christianity.
Christians were often given preferential, even exclusive, treatment in the early American Republic.
Ironically, this preferential treatment mostly died off as “In God We Trust” and “Under God” were being adopted. This was largely the result of the Incorporation of the Establishment Clause (1947) which saw the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment applied at the state level for the first time. This was (and is) still quite controversial and there is a lot of legal scholarship on the subject. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has also been advocating to revert these changes (W).
The Establishment Clause was more about preventing intra-Christian conflict than anything else.
Non-Christians were second-class citizens for the first half of America’s history. LOL!
Even at the Federal level, where the Establishment Clause prevents preferential treatment, Christian imagery adorns every major building and our currency.
Secular attempts at reducing these instances as mere McCarthian reaction to Communism are ill-informed and lacking in nuance.
The Founders all saw the inherit value of Christianity, and most of them were orthodox in their beliefs.
What few “Deists” there were within the ranks of the Founders were not nearly as orthodoxly Deist as academics would have you believe, nor were their numbers particularly large.
It appears also that in the various colonial governments founded in America, toleration, when secured, was only the separation of some particular sect of Christians, not of Christianity itself, from the civil institutions.9
Further Reading
Vincent Phillip Muñoz. THE ORIGINAL MEANING OF THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE AND THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ITS INCORPORATION.
Vincent Phillip Muñoz. God and the Founders: Madison, Washington, and Jefferson (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Vincent Phillip Muñoz. Religious Liberty and the American Founding: Natural Rights and the Original Meanings of the First Amendment Religion Clauses (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2022).
Layne A. Jackson. “Criticisms of Christianity Lightning Round” in Layne Archive.
Layne A. Jackson. “Response to Gildhelm, et al: Yahweh is (still) not a Canaanite Storm Deity” in Layne Archive.
James Knox. “A Letter to Evangelicals” in The Knox Papers.
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