The Faith of the Founders
THE FAITH OF THE FOUNDERS
By Sandi Bradley The Federalist Papers Project www.thefederalistpapers.org
The Faith Of The Founders
Table of Contents
The Faith of the Founders ...... 6 The Presidents ...... 7 George Washington ...... 7 John Adams ...... 11 Thomas Jefferson...... 17 James Madison ...... 26 James Monroe ...... 30 The Signers of the Declaration of Independence ...... 32 Samuel Adams ...... 34 Josiah Bartlett ...... 36 Carter Braxton ...... 36 Samuel Chase ...... 38 Abraham Clark ...... 39 George Clymer ...... 40 William Ellery ...... 40 William Floyd ...... 41 Benjamin Franklin ...... 42 Elbridge Gerry ...... 44 Button Gwinnett ...... 45 Lyman Hall ...... 46 John Hancock ...... 47 Benjamin Harrison V ...... 48 John Hart ...... 49 Joseph Hewes ...... 50 Thomas Heyward Jr ...... 50 William Hooper ...... 51 Stephen Hopkins ...... 51 Francis Hopkinson ...... 53 Samuel Huntington ...... 53 Thomas Jefferson...... 54 www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 1
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Francis Lightfoot Lee ...... 54 Richard Henry Lee ...... 55 Francis Lewis...... 56 Philip Livingston ...... 56 Thomas Lynch Jr...... 57 Thomas McKean ...... 57 Arthur Middleton ...... 58 Lewis Morris ...... 58 John Morton ...... 59 Thomas Nelson Jr...... 60 William Paca ...... 61 Robert Treat Paine ...... 61 John Penn ...... 62 George Read ...... 63 Caesar Rodney ...... 63 George Ross ...... 63 Benjamin Rush ...... 64 Edward Rutledge ...... 67 Roger Sherman ...... 67 James Smith ...... 70 Richard Stockton ...... 70 Thomas Stone ...... 71 George Taylor ...... 72 Matthew Thornton ...... 72 George Walton...... 73 William Whipple ...... 73 William Williams ...... 74 James Wilson ...... 75 John Witherspoon ...... 76 Oliver Wolcott ...... 78 George Wythe ...... 79
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The Signers of the Articles of Confederation ...... 80 Andrew Adams ...... 81 Samuel Adams ...... 81 Thomas Adams ...... 81 John Banister ...... 81 Daniel Carroll ...... 82 William Clingan ...... 82 John Collins ...... 82 Francis Dana ...... 83 John Dickinson ...... 83 William Henry Drayton ...... 85 James Duane ...... 85 William Duer ...... 86 John Hanson Jr ...... 86 Cornelius Harnett ...... 87 John Harvie ...... 87 Titus Hosmer ...... 88 Richard Hutson ...... 88 Edward Langworthy ...... 90 Henry Laurens ...... 90 James Lovell ...... 92 Henry Marchant ...... 92 John Mathews ...... 93 Gouverneur Morris ...... 93 Joseph Reed ...... 95 Daniel Roberdeau ...... 95 Nathaniel Scudder ...... 96 Jonathan Bayard Smith ...... 96 Edward Telfair ...... 97 Nicholas Van Dyke ...... 97 John Walton ...... 97 John Williams ...... 98
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The Framers of the Constitution ...... 99 Abraham Baldwin ...... 100 Richard Bassett ...... 100 Gunning Bedford Jr...... 101 John Blair ...... 101 William Blount ...... 102 David Brearly ...... 102 Jacob Broom ...... 103 Pierce Butler ...... 103 William R. Davie ...... 104 Jonathan Dayton ...... 104 Oliver Ellsworth ...... 105 William Few ...... 105 Thomas Fitzsimons ...... 106 Nicholas Gilman ...... 107 Nathaniel Gorham ...... 107 Alexander Hamilton ...... 107 William Churchill Houston ...... 109 William Houstoun ...... 110 Jared Ingersoll ...... 110 Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer ...... 111 William Samuel Johnson ...... 111 Rufus King ...... 112 John Langdon ...... 113 John Lansing, Jr...... 114 William Livingston ...... 114 Alexander Martin ...... 115 Luther Martin ...... 115 George Mason IV ...... 116 James McClurg ...... 117 James McHenry ...... 117 John F. Mercer ...... 119
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Thomas Mifflin ...... 119 William Paterson ...... 120 William Pierce ...... 120 Charles Cotesworth Pinckney ...... 121 Charles Pinckney ...... 121 Edmund J. Randolph ...... 122 John Rutledge ...... 123 Richard Dobbs Spaight, Sr...... 123 Caleb Strong ...... 124 Hugh Williamson ...... 125 Robert Yates ...... 126 The Other Founders ...... 127 Abigail Smith Adams ...... 127 Ethan Allen ...... 129 Richard Allen ...... 130 Fisher Ames ...... 131 Richard Bland ...... 131 Elias Boudinot ...... 132 Patrick Henry ...... 132 James Iredell ...... 133 John Jay ...... 134 John Marshall ...... 137 James Otis, Jr...... 137 Thomas Paine ...... 138 Charles Thomson ...... 141 Noah Webster ...... 142
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The Faith of the Founders
The religious beliefs held by the Founding Fathers are a topic which has been the subject of some controversy. Were these men Christians or deists? Did they believe in God at all? The point of this paper is to examine their actions, their words, and the views of those who knew them in an effort to determine what they thought. The religious affiliation of each Founder will be given if known.
The Founders are arranged into categories according to the actions which qualify them for that title. Within the categories they are arranged alphabetically, except for the Presidents. Some Founding Fathers fit in more than one group. In that case they will be found in the first group in the arrangement with a notation in other categories showing where to find them. There is also an alphabetical index at the end to further help in locating individual Founders. A bibliography is also included to enable the facts to be checked. Please do not take anyone’s word for it. Always check things out for yourself. The original source for each quote, besides being listed, can be confirmed by pasting the quote into a search engine.
We hope this will help advance our understanding of the men who aided in the founding of this nation. After reading the Founders’ words, each person may draw their own conclusions.
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The Presidents
George Washington (February 22, 1732 [O.S. February 11, 1731/2] – December 14, 1799)
Qualifications - George Washington served as an officer in the colonial militia during the French and Indian War. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses before being sent to both the First and Second Continental Congresses. At the Second he was made Commander of the Continental Army. In 1787, he was chosen to lead the Constitutional Convention as its president. He was unanimously elected the first President of the United States, a feat never equaled. He is properly called the Father of Our Country.
Occupation – Planter, surveyor, soldier, statesman
Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Colonial – Anglican)
Actions – Washington kept pews at several Anglican, later Episcopal, churches during his life time. He had one at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia and at Pohick Church in Lorton, Virginia, part of Truro Parish where he was a vestryman. When he served in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania he attended Christ Church. When he was president and living in New York Washington attended church every Sunday after which he and Martha would spend the afternoon sightseeing. As president he issued proclamations for national days of thanksgiving in 1798 and 1795. He also issued proclamations for national days of prayer. One note, Washington did not take communion, but that was not a unique thing.
Quotes from Washington expressing religious views:
"The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country." ~ General Order (July 9, 1776), George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799: Series 3g Varick Transcripts
"The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger. The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country." ~ The Writings of George Washington, John C. Fitzpatrick, editor (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1932), Vol. 5, p. 245, July 9, 1776 Order
"While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian." ~ General Orders (May 2, 1778); published in Writings of George Washington (1932), Vol. XI, pp. 342-343
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"You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are." ~ The Writings of Washington, John C. Fitzpatrick, editor (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1932), Vol. XV, p. 55, from his speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs (May 12, 1779)
"The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish, and wicked practice, of profane cursing and swearing (a Vice heretofore little known in an American Army) is growing into fashion; he hopes the officers will, by example, as well as influence, endeavour to check it, and that both they, and the men will reflect, that we can have little hopes of the blessing of Heaven on our Arms, if we insult it by our impiety, and folly; added to this, it is a vice so mean and low, without any temptation, that every man of sense, and character, detests and despises it." ~ General Orders on Profanity (August 3, 1776)
"I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection; that he would incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government; to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at large; and, particularly, for their brethren who have served in the field; and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacifick temper of the mind, which were the characteristicks of the divine Author of our blessed religion ; without an humble imitation of whose example, in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation." ~ Circular Letter to the Governors of the several States (June 18, 1783)
"I now make it my earnest prayer that God would… most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of the mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion." ~ The Last Official Address of His Excellency George Washington to the Legislature of the United States (Hartford: Hudson and Goodwin, 1783), p. 12; see also The New Annual Register or General Repository of History, Politics, and Literature, for the Year 1783 (London: G. Robinson, 1784), p. 150.
"I have often expressed my sentiments, that every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience." ~ Letter to the General Committee of the United Baptists Churches in Virginia (May 1789)
"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors." ~ Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789
"The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class
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of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.
May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid." ~ Letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island (1790)
"We have abundant reason to rejoice that in this Land the light of truth & reason has triumphed over the power of bigotry and superstition, and that every person may here worship God according to the dictates of his own heart. In this enlightened age & in this Land of equal liberty it is our boast, that a man's religious tenets will not forfeit the protection of the Laws, nor deprive him of the right of attaining & holding the highest offices that are known in the United States." ~ Letter To the members of the New Church of Baltimore (January 22, 1793)
On Religion from the Farewell Address (1796):
Can it be, that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a Nation with its virtue? The experiment, at least, is recommended by every sentiment which ennobles human nature.
Of all the dispositions and habits, which lead to political prosperity, Religion and Morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and Citizens. The mere Politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connexions with private and public felicity.
Let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government.
Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and Morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be, that good policy does not equally enjoin it? It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and, at no distant period, a great Nation, to give to mankind the magnanimous and too novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence. Who can doubt, that, in the course of time and things, the fruits of such a plan would richly repay any temporary advantages, which might be lost by a steady adherence to it? Can it be, that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a Nation with its Virtue?
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The name of American, belongs to you…[and] with slight shades of difference, you have the same religion.
Quotes about Washington’s religious views:
"To the character of hero and patriot, this good man added that of Christian. Although the greatest man upon earth, he disdained not to humble himself before his God and to trust in the mercies of Christ.” ~ Quote by Gunning Bedford, signer of the Constitution
"[He] consulted much, pondered much; resolved slowly, resolved surely." ~ Alexander Hamilton on Washington as president
"Is it necessary that any one should certify, "General Washington avowed himself to me a believer in Christianity?" As well may we question his patriotism, his heroic, disinterested devotion to his country. His mottos were, 'Deeds, not Words'; and, 'For God and my Country.'" ~ Nelly Custis-Lewis, Washington's adopted daughter and Martha's granddaughter
"I never witnessed his private devotions. I never inquired about them. I should have thought it the greatest heresy to doubt his firm belief in Christianity. His life, his writings, prove that he was a Christian. He was not one of those who act or pray, 'that they may be seen of men' [Matthew 6:5]. He communed with his God in secret [Matthew 6:6]." ~ Letter by Nelly Custis-Lewis
“He was a sincere believer in the Christian faith and a truly devout man.” ~ John Marshall, Revolutionary General, Secretary of State, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice
“I never knew so constant an attendant at Church as [Washington]. And his behavior in the house of God was ever so deeply reverential that it produced the happiest effect on my congregation, and greatly assisted me in my pulpit labors. No company ever withheld him from Church. I have been at Mount Vernon on Sabbath morning when his breakfast table was filled with guests; but to him they furnished no pretext for neglecting his God and losing the satisfaction of setting a good example. For instead of staying at home, out of false complaisance to them, he used constantly to invite them to accompany him.” ~ The Reverend Lee Massey, Pohick Church’s second Rector and a friend of the Washington family
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John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826)
Qualifications – John Adams came to public notice when he successfully defended the soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre and subsequently turned down a lucrative post from the royal governor of Massachusetts. He was asked to represent the colony in the First and Second Continental Congresses where he was a leading proponent for independence. Among his many committee assignments was the Committee of Five, the men responsible for writing the Declaration of Independence which he also signed. With Benjamin Franklin he helped with editing the document before it was presented to the Continental Congress. He was later sent to Europe to represent the new nation and to raise money for the war effort. He was an early supporter for an American navy. He was one of three men who signed the Treaty of Paris which established the United States as an independent nation. He served as George Washington’s vice president and as our second president. He is also famous for his later correspondence with friend and sometime political rival Thomas Jefferson.
Occupation – farmer, lawyer, statesman
Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist followed by Unitarian
Actions – As President Adams issued proclamations for days of thanksgiving in 1798 and 1799. During the Quasi- War with France Adams also issue a proclamation for a day of prayer May 9, 1798. Adams referred to himself as a "church going animal." John, along with his wife Abigail, was a member of the First Parish Church in Quincy.
Quotes from Adams expressing religious views:
"Spent an hour in the beginning of the evening at Major Gardiner's, where it was thought that the design of Christianity was not to make men good riddle-solvers, or good mystery-mongers, but good men, good magistrates, and good subjects, good husbands and good wives, good parents and good children, good masters and good servants." ~ Diary entry for February 18, 1756
"Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited. . . . What a Eutopia – what a Paradise would this region be!" ~ Diary entry for February 22, 1756, The Works of John Adams, Vol. II, pp. 6-7
"Be it remembered, however, that liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker! But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us at the expence of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood. —And liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right, from the frame of their nature, to knowledge, as their great Creator, who does nothing in vain, has given them understandings, and a desire to know; but besides this, they have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge, I mean, of the characters and conduct of their rulers." ~ Essay on Canon and Feudal Law (1765)
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"The moment the idea is admitted into society, that property is not as sacred as the law of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If "Thou shall not covet," and "Thou shall not steal," are not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society, before it can be civilized or made free." ~ Ch. 1 Marchamont Nedham : The Right Constitution of a Commonwealth Examined (1767)
"Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People in a greater Measure than they have it now, They may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting Liberty. They will only exchange Tyrants and Tyrannies." ~ Letter to Zabdiel Adams (June 21, 1776)
"It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty." ~ Letter to Abigail Adams regarding the approval of the Declaration of Independence (July 3, 1776)
"All sober inquirers after truth, ancient and modern, pagan and Christian, have declared that the happiness of man, as well as his dignity, consists in virtue. Confucius, Zoroaster, Socrates, Mahomet, not to mention authorities really sacred have agreed on this." ~ Thoughts on Government (1776)
"If "Thou shalt not covet," and "Thou shalt not steal," were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free." ~ “Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States” (1787)
"The Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity." ~ Diary entry for July 26, 1796, The Works of John Adams, Vol. III, p. 421.
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other." ~ Letter to the Officers of the First Brigade of the Third Division of the Militia of Massachusetts (October 11, 1798)
"I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." ~ On the White House, in a letter to Abigail Adams (November 2, 1800) Franklin D. Roosevelt had this inscribed on the mantelpiece of the State Dining Room
The Bible contains the most profound Philosophy, the most perfect Morality, and the most refined Policy that ever was conceived upon earth. It is the most Republican Book in the World, and therefore I will still revere it. The
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Curses against Fornication and Adultery, and the prohibition of every wanton glance or libinous ogle at a woman, I believe to be the only system that ever did or ever will preserve a Republick in the World. There is a Paradox for you. But if I dont make it out you may say if you please that I am an enthusiast. I say then that national Morality never was and never can be preserved, without the utmost purity and chastity in women: and without national Morality a Republican Government cannot be maintained. Therefore my dear Fellow Citizens of America, you must ask leave of your wives and daughters to preserve your Republick. I believe I shall write a Book upon this Topick before I die and if I could articulate a word I dont know but I would go into the Pulpit and preach upon it. I should be very learned: ransack Greece, and Rome and Judea and France and England and Holland &c" ~ Letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush (February 2, 1807)
"The Holy Ghost carries on the whole Christian system in this earth. Not a baptism, not a marriage, not a sacrament can be administered but by the Holy Ghost. . . . There is no authority, civil or religious – there can be no legitimate government but what is administered by this Holy Ghost. There can be no salvation without it. All without it is rebellion and perdition, or in more orthodox words damnation." ~ Letter from John Adams to Benjamin Rush, from Quincy, Massachusetts, dated December 21, 1809
"Religion and virtue are the only foundations, not only of all free government, but of social felicity under all governments and in all the combinations of human society." ~ Letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush (August 28, 1811)
"The general Principles, on which the Fathers Atchieved [sic] Independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite . . . . And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity, in which all those Sects were United: And the general Principles of English and American Liberty, in which all those young Men United, and which had United all Parties in America, in Majorities sufficient to assert and maintain her Independence. Now I will avow, that I then believed, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God; and that those Principles of Liberty, are as unalterable as human Nature and our terrestrial, mundane System." ~ Letter to Thomas Jefferson ( June 28, 1813) John Adams, Works, Vol. X, pp. 45-46
"I have examined all religions, and the result is that the Bible is the best book in the world." ~ Letter to Thomas Jefferson (December 25, 1813) The Works of John Adams, Vol. X, p. 85
"We have now, it Seems a National Bible Society, to propagate King James's Bible, through all Nations. Would it not be better to apply these pious Subscriptions, to purify Christendom from the Corruptions of Christianity; than to propagate those Corruptions in Europe Asia, Africa and America! ... Conclude not from all this, that I have renounced the Christian religion, or that I agree with Dupuis in all his Sentiments. Far from it. I see in every Page, Something to recommend Christianity in its Purity and Something to discredit its Corruptions. ... The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount contain my Religion." ~ Letter to Thomas Jefferson (November 4, 1816)
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"Twenty times, in the course of my late reading, have I been on the point of breaking out, 'this would be the best of all possible worlds, if there was no religion in it!!!' But in this exclamation, I should have been as fanatical as Bryant or Cleverly. Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company— I mean hell." ~ Letter to Thomas Jefferson (April 19, 1817) The Works of John Adams, Vol. X, p. 254 This one is frequently misquoted by sharing one part
"The American Revolution was not a common event. Its effects and consequences have already been awful over a great part of the globe. And when and where are they to cease?But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations. This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution." ~ Letter to H. Nile (February 13, 1818) What do we mean by the American Revolution?
"When we say God is a spirit, we know what we mean, as well as we do when we say that the pyramids of Egypt are matter. Let us be content, therefore, to believe him to be a spirit, that is, an essence that we know nothing of, in which originally and necessarily reside all energy, all power, all capacity, all activity, all wisdom, all goodness." ~ Letter to Thomas Jefferson (January 17, 1820)
"I have thought proper to recommend, and I do hereby recommend accordingly, that Thursday, the 25th day of April next, be observed throughout the United States of America as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that the citizens on that day abstain as far as may be from their secular occupations, devote the time to the sacred duties of religion in public and in private; that they call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, implore His pardoning mercy, through the Great Mediator and Redeemer, for our past transgressions, and that through the grace of His Holy Spirit we may be disposed and enabled to yield a more suitable obedience to His righteous requisitions in time to come; that He would interpose to arrest the progress of that impiety and licentiousness in principle and practice so offensive to Himself and so ruinous to mankind; that He would make us deeply sensible that "righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach' to any people;" that He would turn us from our transgressions and turn His displeasure from us; that He would withhold us from unreasonable discontent, from disunion, faction, sedition, and insurrection; that He would preserve our country from the desolating sword; that He would save our cities and towns from a repetition of those awful pestilential visitations under which they have lately suffered so severely, and that the health of our inhabitants generally may be precious in His sight; that He would favor us with fruitful seasons and so bless the labors of the husbandman as that there may be food in abundance for man and beast; that He would prosper our commerce, manufactures, and fisheries, and give success to the people in all their lawful industry and enterprise; that He would smile on our colleges, academies, schools, and seminaries of learning, and make them nurseries of sound science, morals, and religion; that He would bless all magistrates, from the highest to the lowest, give them the true spirit of their station, make them a terror to evil doers and a praise to them that do well; that He would preside over the councils of the nation at this critical period, enlighten them to a just discernment of the public interest, and save them from mistake, division, and discord; that He would make succeed our preparations for defense and bless our armaments by land and by sea; that He would put an end to the effusion of
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human blood and the accumulation of human misery among the contending nations of the earth by disposing them to justice, to equity, to benevolence, and to peace; and that he would extend the blessings of knowledge, of true liberty, and of pure and undefiled religion throughout the world." ~ Congressional Proclamation of a National Day of Fasting and Prayer, March 6, 1789
Documents:
A letter to Abigail during the First Continental Congress
Having a Leisure Moment, while the Congress is assembling, I gladly embrace it to write you a Line.
When the Congress first met, Mr. Cushing made a Motion, that it should be opened with Prayer. It was opposed by Mr. Jay of N. York and Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina, because we were so divided in religious Sentiments, some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Aanabaptists, some Presbyterians and some Congregationalists, so that We could not join in the same Act of Worship.-Mr. S. Adams arose and said he was no Bigot, and could hear a Prayer from a Gentleman of Piety and Virtue, who was at the same Time a Friend to his Country. He was a Stranger in Phyladelphia, but had heard that Mr. Duche (Dushay they pronounce it) deserved that Character, and therefore he moved that Mr. Duche, an episcopal Clergyman, might be desired, to read Prayers to the Congress, tomorrow Morning. The Motion was seconded and passed in the Affirmative. Mr. Randolph our President, waited on Mr. Duche, and received for Answer that if his Health would permit, he certainly would. Accordingly next Morning he appeared with his Clerk and in his Pontificallibus, and read several Prayers, in the established Form; and then read the Collect for the seventh day of September, which was the Thirty fifth Psalm. -You must remember this was the next Morning after we heard the horrible Rumour, of the Cannonade of Boston.-I never saw a greater Effect upon an Audience. It seemed as if Heaven had ordained that Psalm to be read on that Morning.
After this Mr. Duche, unexpected to every Body struck out into an extemporary Prayer, which filled the Bosom of every Man present. I must confess I never heard a better Prayer or one, so well pronounced. Episcopalian as he is, Dr. Cooper himself never prayed with such fervour, such Ardor, such Earnestness and Pathos, and in Language so elegant and sublime-for America, for the Congress, for The Province of Massachusetts Bay, and especially the Town of Boston. It has had an excellent Effect upon every Body here.
I must beg you to read that Psalm. If there was any Faith in the sortes Virgilianae, or sortes Homericae, or especially the Sortes biblicae, it would be thought providential.
It will amuse your Friends to read this Letter and the 35th. Psalm to them. Read it to your Father and Mr. Wibirt. -I wonder what our Braintree Churchmen would think of this?-Mr. Duche is one of the most ingenious Men, and best Characters, and greatest orators in the Episcopal order, upon this Continent- Yet a Zealous Friend of Liberty and his Country.
I long to see my dear Family. God bless, preserve and prosper it.
Adieu.
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A letter from John Adams to Benjamin Rush, January 21, 1810:
Thomas Paine's political writings, I am singular enough to believe, have done more harm than his irreligious ones. He understood neither government nor religion. From a malignant heart he wrote virulent declamations, which the enthusiastic fury of the times intimidated all men, even Mr. Burke, from answering as he ought. His deism, as it appears to me, has promoted rather than retarded the cause of revolution in America, and indeed in Europe. His billingsgate, stolen from Blount's Oracles of Reason, from Bolingbroke., Voltaire, Berenger, &c., will never discredit Christianity, which will hold its ground in some degree as long as human nature shall have any thing moral or intellectual left in it. The Christian religion, as I understand it, is the brightness of the glory and the express portrait of the character of the eternal, self-existent, independent, benevolent, all powerful and all merciful creator, preserver, and father of the universe, the first good, first perfect, and first fair. It will last as long as the world. Neither savage nor civilized man, without a revelation, could ever have discovered or invented it. Ask me not, then, whether I am a Catholic or Protestant, Calvinist or Arminian. As far as they are Christians, I wish to be a fellow-disciple with them all.
Presidential proclamation of a national day of fasting and prayer
I have thought proper to recommend, and I do hereby recommend accordingly, that Thursday, the 25th day of April next, be observed throughout the United States of America as a day of solemn humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that the citizens on that day abstain as far as may be from their secular occupations, devote the time to the sacred duties of religion in public and in private; that they call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, implore His pardoning mercy, for our past transgressions, and that through the grace of His Holy Spirit we may be disposed and enabled to yield a more suitable obedience to His righteous requisitions in time to come; that He would preside over the councils of the nation at this critical period, enlighten them to a just discernment of the public interest, and save them from mistake, division, and discord; that He would make succeed our preparations for defense and bless our armaments by land and by sea; that He would put an end to the effusion of human blood and the accumulation of human misery among the contending nations of the earth by disposing them to justice, to equity, to benevolence, and to peace; and that he would extend the blessings of knowledge, of true liberty, and of pure and undefiled religion throughout the world.
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Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826)
Qualifications – Thomas Jefferson is famous for being the major author of the Declaration of Independence. During his life he also served as the second governor of Virginia, a minister to France, our first Secretary of State, our second vice president, and our third president. He was also the author of the Virginia statute on Religious Freedom and founder of the University of Virginia. He was also a planter (though not terrible successful), a gardener (wildly successful), a lawyer, and a musician. As an architect he designed for himself two homes, Monticello and Poplar Forest. For the people of Virginia he designed those buildings of the University of Virginia and the state capitol building. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, the Second Continental Congress, and Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia.
Occupation – Planter, lawyer, statesman
Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Colonial – Anglican) Jefferson is one of the Founders most commonly referred to as a deist though he never claimed that appellation nor was he ever a member of any deist organization. If one accepts the clock maker god of deism, then Jefferson cannot be viewed as one as he believed that God was active in this world. However, Jefferson was not an orthodox Christian either.
Actions – As a member of the House of Burgesses Jefferson introduced a resolution calling for a day of fasting and prayer. As governor of Virginia from 1779 to 1781, he called for a day of "Public and solemn thanksgiving and prayer to the Almighty God." Later as president, he authorized the use of federal funds to build a church and pay the salary of a priest for the Kaskaskia Indians. He regularly attended church services held in the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., even after he penned his famous letter to the Danbury Baptist Association. The famous Jefferson Bible, which is actually called "The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth," was intended as a tool to evangelize the Indians.
Quotes from Jefferson expressing his religious views:
"If I am to succeed, the sooner I know it, the less uneasiness I shall have to go through. If I am to meet with a disappointment, the sooner I know it, the more of life I shall have to wear it off: and if I do meet with one, I hope in God, and verily believe; it will be the last." ~ Letter to John Page (July 15, 1763)
"The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy, but cannot disjoin them." ~ Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774)
"All persons shall have full and free liberty of religious opinion; nor shall any be compelled to frequent or maintain any religious institution." ~ Jefferson’s Draft Constitution for Virginia (June 1776)
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"Compulsion in religion is distinguished peculiarly from compulsion in every other thing. I may grow rich by art I am compelled to follow, I may recover health by medicines I am compelled to take against my own judgment, but I cannot be saved by a worship I disbelieve & abhor." ~ Notes on Religion (October 1776)
"In the middle ages of Christianity opposition to the State opinions was hushed. The consequence was, Christianity became loaded with all the Romish follies. Nothing but free argument, raillery & even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion." ~ Notes on Religion (October 1776)
"Well aware that the opinions and belief of men depend not on their own will, but follow involuntarily the evidence proposed to their minds; that Almighty God hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments, or burthens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, who being lord both of body and mind, yet choose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do, but to exalt it by its influence on reason alone; that the impious presumption of legislature and ruler, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time: That to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical; … that our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in physics or geometry; and therefore the proscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of trust or emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religions opinion, is depriving him injudiciously of those privileges and advantages to which, in common with his fellow-citizens, he has a natural right; that it tends also to corrupt the principles of that very religion it is meant to encourage, by bribing with a monopoly of worldly honours and emolumerits, those who will externally profess and conform to it; that though indeed these are criminals who do not withstand such temptation, yet neither are those innocent who lay the bait in their way; that the opinions of men are not the object of civil government, nor under its jurisdiction; that to suffer the civil magistrate to intrude his powers into the field of opinion and to restrain the profession or propagation of principles on supposition of their ill tendency is a dangerous fallacy, which at once destroys all religious liberty, … and finally, that truth is great and will prevail if left to herself; that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate ; errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them." ~ A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, Chapter 82 (1779)
"The error seems not sufficiently eradicated that the operations of the mind as well as the acts of the body are subject to the coercion of the laws. But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it
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does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." ~ Notes on the State of Virginia Q.XVII (1782)
"And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever:" ~ Notes on the State of Virginia, Q.XVIII (1782)
"He who made us would have been a pitiful bungler, if he had made the rules of our moral conduct a matter of science. For one man of science, there are thousands who are not. What would have become of them? Man was destined for society. His morality, therefore, was to be formed to this object. He was endowed with a sense of right and wrong, merely relative to this." ~ Letter to his nephew Peter Carr from Paris, France, (August 10, 1787)
"Your reason is now mature enough to examine this object [religion]. In the first place divest yourself of all bias in favour of novelty & singularity of opinion. Indulge them in any other subject rather than that of religion. It is too important, & the consequences of error may be too serious. On the other hand shake off all the fears & servile prejudices under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear." ~ Letter to his nephew Peter Carr (August 10, 1787)
"Yours is one of the few lives precious to mankind, and for the continuance of which every thinking man is solicitous. Bigots may be an exception. What an effort, my dear sir, of bigotry in politics and religion have we gone through! The barbarians really flattered themselves they should be able to bring back the times of Vandalism, when ignorance put everything into the hands of power and priestcraft. All advances in science were proscribed as innovations. They pretended to praise and encourage education, but it was to be the education of our ancestors. We were to look backwards, not forwards, for improvement … This was the real ground of all the attacks on you. Those who live by mystery & charlntanerie, fearing you would render them useless by simplifying the Christian philosophy — the most sublime and benevolent, but most perverted system that ever shone on man — endeavored to crush your well-earned & well-deserved fame." ~ Letter to Dr. Joseph Priestley (March 21, 1801) This one is sometimes misquoted as, “Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man.”
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and State." ~ Letter to Danbury Baptist Association, CT. (January 1, 1802) This statement is the origin of the often used phrase "separation of Church and State".
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"To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed; but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense he wished any one to be; sincerely attached to his doctrines, in preference to all others; ascribing to himself every human excellence; & believing he never claimed any other." ~ Letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush (April 12, 1803)
"The precepts of philosophy, and of the Hebrew code, laid hold of actions only. He [Jesus] pushed his scrutinies into the heart of man; erected his tribunal in the region of his thoughts, and purified the waters at the fountain head." ~ Letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush (April 12, 1803)
"I concur with the author in considering the moral precepts of Jesus as more pure, correct, and sublime than those of ancient philosophers." ~ Letter to Edward Dowse (April 19, 1803)
"I am a Christian in the only sense in which He wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to His doctrines in preference to all others." ~ Letter to Benjamin Rush (April 21, 1803)
"Among the most inestimable of our blessings, also, is that... of liberty to worship our Creator in the way we think most agreeable to His will; a liberty deemed in other countries incompatible with good government and yet proved by our experience to be its best support." ~ Letter to Captain John Thomas (November 18, 1807)
"In our early struggles for liberty, religious freedom could not fail to become a primary object." ~ To Baltimore Baptists (1808)
"We have solved, by fair experiment, the great and interesting question whether freedom of religion is compatible with order in government and obedience to the laws. And we have experienced the quiet as well as the comfort which results from leaving every one to profess freely and openly those principles of religion which are the inductions of his own reason and the serious convictions of his own inquiries." ~ Reply to Virginia Baptists (1808),
"I consider the Government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from meddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises. But it is only proposed that I should recommend, not prescribe a day of ...fasting and praying. That is, I should indirectly assume to the United States an authority over religious exercises, which the Constitution has directly precluded them from. Every one must act according to the dictates of his own reason and mine tells me that civil powers alone have been given to the President of the United States, and no authority to direct the religious exercises of his constituents." ~ Letter to Rev. Samuel Mille (January 23, 1808)
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“It is a matter of principle with me to avoid disturbing the tranquillity of others by the expression of any opinion on the innocent questions on which we schismatize.” ~ Letter to James Fishback (1809)
"My religious reading has long been confined to the moral branch of religion, which is the same in all religions; while in that branch which consists of dogmas, all differ[.]" ~ Letter to Thomas Leiper (January 11, 1809)
"The practice of morality being necessary for the well being of society, He [God] has taken care to impress its precepts so indelibly on our hearts that they shall not be effaced by the subtleties of our brain. We all agree in the obligation of the moral principles of Jesus and nowhere will they be found delivered in greater purity than in His discourses." ~ Letter to James Fishback (September 27, 1809)
"Religion is a subject on which I have ever been most scrupulously reserved. I have considered it as a matter between every man and his Maker in which no other, and far less the public, had a right to intermeddle." ~ Letter to Richard Rush (1813)
"He who steadily observes the moral precepts in which all religions concur, will never be questioned at the gates of heaven as to the dogmas in which they all differ." ~ Letter to William Canby (September 18, 1813)
"Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern, which have come under my observation, none appear to me so pure as that of Jesus. He who follows this steadily need not, I think, be uneasy, although he cannot comprehend the subtleties and mysteries erected on his doctrines by those who, calling themselves his special followers and favorites, would make him come into the world to lay snares for all understandings but theirs. These metaphysical heads, usurping the judgment seat of God, denounce as his enemies all who cannot perceive the Geometrical logic of Euclid in the demonstrations of St. Athanasius., that three are one, and one is three; and yet that the one is not three nor the three one." ~ Letter to William Canby (September 18, 1813)
“I must ever believe that religion substantially good which produces an honest life.” ~ Letter to Miles King (1814)
“Dispute as long as we will on religious tenets, our reason at last must ultimately decide, as it is the only oracle which God has given us to determine between what really comes from Him and the phantasms of a disordered or deluded imagination. When He means to make a personal revelation, He carries conviction of its authenticity to the reason He has bestowed as the umpire of truth. You believe you have been favored with such a special communication. Your reason, not mine, is to judge of this; and if it shall be His pleasure to favor me with a like admonition, I shall obey it with the same fidelity with which I would obey His known will in all cases.” ~ Letter to Miles King (1814)
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“Hitherto I have been under the guidance of that portion of reason which God has thought proper to deal out to me. I have followed it faithfully in all important cases, to such a degree at least as leaves me without uneasiness; and if on minor occasions I have erred from its dictates, I have trust in Him who made us what we are, and I know it was not His plan to make us always unerring.” ~ Letter to Miles King (1814)
"The Christian priesthood, finding the doctrines of Christ levelled to every understanding, and too plain to need explanation, saw in the mysticism of Plato, materials with which they might build up an artificial system, which might, from its indistinctness, admit everlasting controversy, give employment for their order, and introduce it to profit, power and pre-eminence. The doctrines which flowed from the lips of Jesus himself are within the comprehension of a child; but thousands of volumes have not yet explained the Platonisms engrafted on them; and for this obvious reason, that nonsense can never be explained." ~ Letter to John Adams (July 5, 1814)
"Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to our god alone. I enquire after no man's and trouble none with mine; nor is it given to us in this life to know whether yours or mine, our friend's or our foe's, are exactly the right." ~ Letter to Miles King (September 26, 1814)
"Religion, as well as reason, confirms the soundness of those principles on which our government has been founded and its rights asserted." ~ Letter to P. H. Wendover (1815)
"The priests have so disfigured the simple religion of Jesus that no one who reads the sophistications they have engrafted on it, from the jargon of Plato, of Aristotle & other mystics, would conceive these could have been fathered on the sublime preacher of the sermon on the mount." ~ Letter to Benjamin Waterhouse (October 13, 1815) “I have ever thought religion a concern purely between our God and our consciences, for which we were accountable to Him, and not to the priests. I never told my own religion, nor scrutinized that of another. I never attempted to make a convert nor wished to change another's creed. I have ever judged of the religion of others by their lives for it is in our lives, and not from our words, that our religion must be read.” ~ Letter to Mrs. M. Harrison Smith (1816)
"I, too, have made a wee-little book from the same materials, which I call the Philosophy of Jesus; it is a paradigma of his doctrines, made by cutting the texts out of the book, and arranging them on the pages of a blank book, in a certain order of time or subject. A more beautiful or precious morsel of ethics I have never seen; it is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus, very different from the Platonists, who call me infidel and themselves Christians and preachers of the gospel, while they draw all their characteristic dogmas from what its author never said nor saw. They have compounded from the heathen mysteries a system beyond the comprehension of man, of which the great reformer of the vicious ethics and deism of the Jews, were he to return on earth, would not recognize one feature." ~ Letter to Charles Thomson about The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth (January 9, 1816)
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"It is in our lives, and not from our words, that our religion must be read. By the same test the world must judge me. But this does not satisfy the priesthood. They must have a positive, a declared assent to all their interested absurdities. My opinion is that there would never have been an infidel, if there had never been a priest." ~ Letter to Mrs. Harrison Smith (August 6, 1816)
"One of our fan-coloring biographers, who paints small men as very great, inquired of me lately with real affection too, whether he might consider as authentic, the change of my religion much spoken of in some circles. Now this supposed that they knew what had been my religion before, taking for it the word of their priests, whom I certainly never made the confidants of my creed. My answer was 'say nothing of my religion. It is known to my God and myself alone. Its evidence before the world is to be sought in my life; if that has been honest and dutiful to society, the religion which has regulated it cannot be a bad one.'" ~ Letter to John Adams (January 11, 1817)
"Extracted from the account of his life and doctrines as given by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Being an abridgment of the New Testament for the use of the Indians, unembarrassed with matters of fact or faith beyond the level of their comprehensions." ~ The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth (1817)
"The constitutional freedom of religion [is] the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights." ~Thomas Jefferson: Virginia Board of Visitors Minutes (1819)
"You say you are a Calvinist. I am not. I am of a sect by myself, as far as I know." ~ Letter to Ezra Stiles Ely (June 25, 1819)
"Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination." ~ Autobiography (1821), in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom
"The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man." ~ Letter to Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse (June 26, 1822)
"I thank you, Sir, for the copy you were so kind as to send me of the revd. Mr. Bancroft's Unitarian sermons. I have read them with great satisfaction, and always rejoice in efforts to restore us to primitive Christianity, in all the simplicity in which it came from the lips of Jesus. Had it never been sophisticated by the subtleties of Commentators, nor paraphrased into meanings totally foreign to its character, it would at this day have been the religion of the whole civilized world. But the metaphysical abstractions of Athanasius, and the maniac ravings of Calvin, tinctured plentifully with the foggy dreams of Plato, have so loaded it with absurdities and
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incomprehensibilities, as to drive into infidelity men who had not time, patience, or opportunity to strip it of it's meretricious trappings[.]" ~ Letter to John Davis (January 18, 1824)
"I resign myself to my God, and my child to my country." ~ Jefferson’s last words as reported by his daughter Martha Jefferson Randolph and published in Signers of the Declaration of Independence, B. J. Lossing (1848)
"The religion-builders have so distorted and deformed the doctrines of Jesus, so muffled them in mysticisms, fancies and falsehoods, have caricatured them into forms so monstrous and inconceivable, as to shock reasonable thinkers. ... Happy in the prospect of a restoration of primitive Christianity, I must leave to younger athletes to encounter and lop off the false branches which have been engrafted into it by the mythologists of the middle and modern ages." ~ The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (1853-1854), edited by H. A. Washington, Vol. 7, pp. 210, 257, published posthumously
The Declaration of Independence:
"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable Rights; that among these, are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness; that to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
"For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."
The Doctrines of Jesus:
The doctrines of Jesus are simple, and tend all to the happiness of man.
1. That there is one only God, and he all perfect. 2. That there is a future state of rewards and punishments. 3. That to love God with all thy heart and thy neighbor as thyself, is the sum of religion..
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These are the great points on which he endeavored to reform the religion of the Jews. But compare with these the demoralizing dogmas of Calvin.
1. That there are three Gods. 2. That good works, or the love of our neighbor, are nothing. 3. That faith is every thing, and the more incomprehensible the proposition, the more merit in its faith. 4. That reason in religion is of unlawful use. 5. That God, from the beginning, elected certain individuals to be saved, and certain others to be damned; and that no crimes of the former can damn them; no virtues of the latter save.
"Now, which of these is the true and charitable Christian? He who believes and acts on the simple doctrines of Jesus? Or the impious dogmatists, as Athanasius and Calvin? Verily I say these are the false shepherds foretold as to enter not by the door into the sheepfold, but to climb up some other way. They are mere usurpers of the Christian name, teaching a counter-religion made up of the deliria of crazy imaginations, as foreign from Christianity as is that of Mahomet. Their blasphemies have driven thinking men into infidelity, who have too hastily rejected the supposed author himself, with the horrors so falsely imputed to him. Had the doctrines of Jesus been preached always as pure as they came from his lips, the whole civilized world would now have been Christian. I rejoice that in this blessed country of free inquiry and belief, which has surrendered its creed and conscience to neither kings nor priests, the genuine doctrine of one only God is reviving, and I trust that there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die an Unitarian." ~ Letter to Benjamin Waterhouse (June 26, 1822)
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James Madison (March 16, 1751 – June 28, 1836)
Qualifications – Madison was a member of the Congress of the Confederation, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, one of the primary authors of the Virginia Plan, a signer of the Constitution, one of the three writers of the Federalist Papers, a member of the first House of Representatives, the Secretary of State for Thomas Jefferson, and our fourth president. He is the only president to lead troops in battle while he was in office. His work at the Constitutional Convention, of which he never missed a day, along with the notes he took on the events, has earned him the nickname “The Father of the Constitution” which is quite an appellation when one considers the company he kept. He also introduced the amendment which would form the Bill of Rights.
Occupation – Planter, lawyer, statesman
Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Colonial – Anglican)
Actions – As president, Madison issued several proclamations for days of prayer or thanksgiving. He is the author a Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments which was a stand on religious freedom. He attended St. John's Episcopal Church while he was President. During his time at Princeton, a college founded by the Presbyterians, Madison briefly considered entering the clergy. In 1789, while serving in the House of Representatives, Madison served on the committee which authorized, approved, and selected paid Congressional chaplains. Later as president, Madison signed into law a bill which gave financial assistance to a Bible Society for the mass distribution of the Bible. As a Virginia legislator, Madison worked for religious freedom championing causes such as repealing penalties against religious dissenters and stopping taxpayer support for Anglican clergymen.
Quotes from Madison expressing his religious views:
"A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest while we are building ideal monuments of Renown and Bliss here we neglect to have our names enrolled in the Annals of Heaven." ~ Letter to William Bradford (November 9, 1772)
"I have sometimes thought there could be no stronger testimony in favor of Religion or against temporal Enjoyments even the most rational and manly than for men who occupy the most honorable and gainful departments and are rising in reputation and wealth, publicly to declare their unsatisfactoriness by becoming fervent Advocates in the cause of Christ, & I wish you may give in your Evidence in this way. Such instances have seldom occurred, therefore they would be more striking and would be instead of a 'Cloud of Witnesses.'" ~ Letter to William Bradford (September 1773)
“Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprize, every expanded prospect.” ~ Letter to William Bradford (April 1, 1774)
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“It is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other.” ~ The Proceedings of the Convention of Delegates, Held at the Capitol in the City of Williamsburg, in the Colony of Virginia (May 6, 1776)
“That Religion or the duty we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, being under the direction of reason and conviction only, not of violence or compulsion, all men are equally entitled to the full and free exercise of it according to the dictates of Conscience.” ~ Madison’s amendment to the Virginia Declaration of Rights (June 1776)
“It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage and such only as he believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society.” ~ Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments (Circa June 20, 1785)
"It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it (Constitutional Convention) a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stage of the revolution." ~ Federalist Papers, No. 37
“The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretence, infringed.” ~ Madison's proposal for the First Amendment (1789)
“Conscience is the most sacred of all property.” ~ Essay on Property (March 29, 1792)
"...we have all been encouraged to feel in the guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations, whose blessings have been so conspicuously dispensed to this rising Republic, and to whom we are bound to address our devout gratitude for the past, as well as our fervent supplications and best hopes for the future." ~ First Inaugural Address
“Among the features peculiar to the political system of the United States, is the perfect equality of rights which it secures to every religious sect.” ~ Letter to Jacob de la Motta (August 1820)
“We are teaching the world the great truth that Governments do better without Kings & Nobles than with them. The merit will be doubled by the other lesson that Religion Flourishes in greater purity, without than with the aid of Government.” ~ Letter to Edward Livingston (July 10, 1822)
"Religion & Govt. will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together. It was the belief of all sects at one time that the establishment of Religion by law, was right & necessary; that the true religion ought to be
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established in exclusion of every other; And that the only question to be decided was which was the true religion. "The example of Holland proved that a toleration of ...sects, dissenting from the established sect, was safe & even useful. The example of the Colonies, now States, which rejected religious establishments altogether, proved that all Sects might be safely & advantageously put on a footing of equal & entire freedom; and a continuance of their example since the declaration of Independence, has shewn that its success in Colonies was not to be ascribed to their connection with the parent Country." ~ Letter to Edward Livingston (July 10, 1822)
"The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities to be impressed with it." ~ Letter to Rev. Frederick Beasley (November 20, 1825)
“Waiving the rights of Conscience, not included in the surrender implied by the social State, and more or less invaded by all religious Establishments, the simple question to be decided is whether a support of the best & purest religion, the Xn religion itself ought not so far at least as pecuniary means are involved, to be provided for by the Govt. rather than be left to the voluntary provisions of those who profess it. And on this question experience will be an admitted Umpire, the more adequate as the connection between Govts. & Religion have existed in such various degrees & forms, and now can be compared with examples where connection has been entirely dissolved. ~ Letter to Reverend Adams (1832)
Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments (1785):
"We hold it for a fundamental and undeniable truth, “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.” The Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate. This right is in its nature an unalienable right. It is unalienable; because the opinions of men, depending only on the evidence contemplated by their own minds, cannot follow the dictates of other men: It is unalienable also; because what is here a right towards men, is a duty towards the Creator. It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage, and such only, as he believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent both in order of time and degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society. Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe: And if a member of Civil Society, who enters into any subordinate Association, must always do it with a reservation of his duty to the general authority; much more must every man who becomes a member of any particular Civil Society, do it with a saving of his allegiance to the Universal Sovereign. We maintain therefore that in matters of Religion, no man’s right is abridged by the institution of Civil Society, and that Religion is wholly exempt from its cognizance. True it is, that no other rule exists, by which any question which may divide a Society, can be ultimately determined, but the will of the majority; but it is also true, that the majority may trespass on the rights of the minority." § 1
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"The free men of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise, and entangled the question in precedents. They saw all the consequences in the principle, and they avoided the consequences by denying the principle. We revere this lesson too much soon to forget it. Who does not see that the same authority which can establish Christianity, in exclusion of all other Religions, may establish with the same ease any particular sect of Christians, in exclusion of all other Sects? that the same authority which can force a citizen to contribute three pence only of his property for the support of any one establishment, may force him to conform to any other establishment in all cases whatsoever?" § 3
Quotes about Madison’s religious views:
“Whatever may have been the private sentiments of Mr. Madison on the subject of religion, he was never known to declare any hostility to it. He always treated it with respect, attended public worship in his neighborhood, invited ministers of religion to his house, had family prayers on such occasions--though he did not kneel himself at prayers.” ~ Bishop William Meade
"There is no principle in all of Madison's wide range of private opinions and long public career to which he held with greater vigor and tenacity than this one of religious liberty.” ~ Madison biographer Ralph Ketcham,
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James Monroe (April 28, 1758 – July 4, 1831)
Qualifications – James Monroe served as a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation, was a member of the Virginia Convention on Ratifying the Constitution, was a Senator, the Minister to France under President George Washington, Minister to the United Kingdom under President Thomas Jefferson, governor of Virginia twice, Secretary of State for President James Madison, Secretary of War for President James Madison, and the fifth president. He is the only man to have ever held two cabinet posts at the same time. Though John Quincy Adams wrote the actual working, Monroe is the creator of the Monroe Doctrine. Monroe fought in the American Revolution and was injured at the Battle of Trenton. He was the man who negotiated the purchase of Louisiana for President Jefferson. As president he added the territory of Florida. He is the only president to have a foreign capital named for him, Monrovia, Liberia.
Occupation – Planter, lawyer, soldier, statesman
Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Colonial – Anglican)
Quotes from Monroe expressing his religious views:
"[T]is the summit of Christian fortitude and heroism to prevail over the views of this transitory life, and turn the mind on the more lasting happiness of that to come. The blessed influence of heaven is, I hope, on you; beware of heresy, danger, ruin, and perpetual misery await it. But while life remains, it is necessary you should have some thing more than mere repentance to amuse your thoughts on." ~ Letter to Pierre Duponceau (April 11, 1778)
"I enter on the trust with my fervent prayers to the Almighty, that he will he graciously pleased to continue to us that protection which he has already so conspicuously displayed in our favor." ~ First Inaugural Address (March 5, 1817)
"A proper reverence for our Maker, and indeed religion in general, leaving all men however free to act agreeable to the dictates of their own consciences, will ever meet my approbations and support." ~ Remarks to the clergy of Portland, Maine (July 16, 1817)
"When we view the great blessing with which our country has been favored, those which we now enjoy, and the means which we possess of handling them down unimpaired to our latest posterity, our attention is irresistibly down to the source from whence they flow. Let us, then, unite in offering our most grateful acknowledgements for those blessing to the Divine Author of All Good." ~ Second Annual Message to Congress (November 17, 1818)
"The fruits of the earth have been unusually abundant, commerce has flourished, the revenue has exceeded the most favorable anticipations, and peace and amity are preserved with foreign nations on conditions just and honorable to our country. For these inestimable blessings we cannot be too grateful to that Providence which watches over the destinies of nations."
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~ Second Annual Message to Congress (November 17, 1818)
"With full confidence in the continuance of that candor and generous indulgence from my fellow-citizens which I have heretofore experienced, and with a firm reliance on the protection of Almighty God, I shall forthwith commence the duties of the high trust to which you have called me." ~ Second Inaugural Address (March 5, 1821)
“Deeply impressed with the blessing which we enjoy, and of which we have much manifold proofs, my mind is irresistibly drawn to that Almighty Being, the great source from whence they proceed and whom our most grateful acknowledgements are due." ~ Fifth Annual Message to Congress (December 3, 1821)
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The Signers of the Declaration of Independence
On July 2nd, 1776 the members of the Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain. Two days later, after much debate and many changes, they voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence. On that day, July 4th, two men stepped forward to sign. One was John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress. The other was Charles Thomson, the secretary. The Committee of Five, the group responsible for producing the Declaration, then sent the amended document to be printed. The Dunlap Broadsides, the printed copies of the Declaration, were then distributed on the 5th to the state governments and military commanders. John Adams had one sent to his wife. They were read aloud in many towns and cities including Philadelphia.
The Declaration that we are familiar with was not signed until August 2, 1776. That copy, which had been handwritten on parchment by Timothy Matlack, called engrossed, was not ready before then. On that date the members of Congress began to sign beginning with John Hancock. After him followed the delegates representing each of the 13 states who signed in geographic order from the most northern to the most southern. A few delegates were absent and did not sign until later. One, John Dickinson, participated in the debates, but absented himself from the vote and did not sign.
The Declaration is the philosophical foundation upon which our nation is built, so a study of the faith of those who signed it is one which is relevant to us. These men are highly admired among the religious and the nonreligious for their intelligence, learning, wisdom, and ethics. They were leaders in their respective colonies, but they were also farmers, merchants, lawyers, educators, doctors, artisans, and even ministers. As a group they had a higher church membership than was average in the colonies. Many were active in their respective congregations even serving as lay leaders such as vestrymen.
From B. J. Lossing’s Signers of the Declaration of Independence:
“From no point of view can the Declaration of American Independence, the causes which led to its adoption, and the events which marked its maintenance, be observed without exciting sentiments of profound veneration for the men who were the prominent actors in that remarkable scene in the drama of the world's history... The signing of that instrument was a solemn act, and required great firmness and patriotism in those who committed it... neither firmness nor patriotism was wanting in that august body...
“Such were the men unto whose keeping, as instruments of Providence, the destinies of America were for the time intrusted; and it has been well remarked, that men, other than such as these,--an ignorant, untaught mass, like those who have formed the physical elements of other revolutionary movements, without sufficient intellect to guide and control them--could not have conceived, planned, and carried into execution, such a mighty movement, one so fraught with tangible marks of political wisdom, as the American Revolution...
“Their bodies now have all returned to their kindred dust in the grave, and their souls have gone to receive their reward in the Spirit Land.”
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From Robert G. Ferris (editor), Signers of the Declaration: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Declaration of Independence
“Liberally endowed as a whole with courage and sense of purpose, the signers [of the Declaration of Independence] consisted of a distinguished group of individuals. Although heterogeneous in background, education, experience, and accomplishments, at the time of the signing they were practically all men of means and represented an elite cross section of 18th-century American leadership. Everyone one of them of them had achieved prominence in his colony, but only a few enjoyed a national reputation.
“The signers were those individuals who happened to be Delegates to Congress at the time... The signers possessed many basic similarities. Most were American-born and of Anglo-Saxon origin. The eight foreign-born... were all natives of the British Isles. Except for Charles Carroll, a Roman Catholic, and a few Deists, every one subscribed to Protestantism. For the most part basically political nonextremists, many at first had hesitated at separation let alone rebellion.”
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The Signers of the Declaration of Independence
John Adams – see under The Presidents
Samuel Adams (September 27, 1722 – October 2, 1803)
Qualifications – Adams, with his cousin John, was a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses. He was a signer of the both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He held various offices in his home state such as clerk, president of the Senate, lieutenant governor, and governor. He was one of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty, a secret Patriot organization. He was at the Boston Massacre and undoubtedly participated in the Boston Tea Party. He is credited with creating the Committees of Correspondence which set up a communication network for the colonies prior to the Revolution. He was a delegate to the Massachusetts Convention which ratified the Constitution. He is nicknamed The Father of the American Revolution.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Partner in a malthouse, rebel, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from Adams expressing his religious views:
"We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come." ~ Speech delivered at the State House in Philadelphia (August 1, 1776)
“He who made all men hath made the truths necessary to human happiness obvious to all… Our forefathers opened the Bible to all.” ~ Speech delivered at the State House in Philadelphia (August 1, 1776)
The name of the Lord (says the Scripture) is a strong tower; thither the righteous flee and are safe [Proverbs 18:10]. Let us secure His favor and He will lead us through the journey of this life and at length receive us to a better." ~ Letter to Elizabeth Adams (December 26, 1776)
“It is therefore recommended . . . for solemn thanksgiving and praise, that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor . . . .” ~ The first official Thanksgiving Proclamation adoopted by all 13 states (November 1, 1777)
“Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust must be men of unexceptionable characters. ... If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of
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zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation. ... [N]either the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. ... No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and Virtue is preserved." ~ Letter to Elbridge Gerry (November 27, 1780)
"I firmly believe that the benevolent Creator designed the republican Form of Government for Man." ~ Letter to Richard Henry Lee (April 14, 1785)
"Let Divines, and Philosophers, Statesmen and Patriots unite their endeavours to renovate the Age, by impressing the Minds of Men with the importance of educating their little boys, and girls — of inculcating in the Minds of youth the fear, and Love of the Deity, and universal Phylanthropy; and in subordination to these great principles, the Love of their Country — of instructing them in the Art of self government, without which they never can act a wise part in the Government of Societys great, or small — in short of leading them in the Study, and Practice of the exalted Virtues of the Christian system." ~ Letter to John Adams (October 4, 1790)
"I . . . [rely] upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins." ~ Last Will & Testament of Samuel Adams, attested December 29, 1790
We may with one heart and voice humbly implore His gracious and free pardon through Jesus Christ, supplicating His Divine aid . . . [and] above all to cause the religion of Jesus Christ, in its true spirit, to spread far and wide till the whole earth shall be filled with His glory." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer (March 10, 1793)
"The peaceful and glorious reign of our Divine Redeemer may be known and enjoyed throughout the whole family of mankind." ~ Proclamation issued October 14, 1795
“With true contrition of heart to confess their sins to God and implore forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer (March 15, 1796)
"And as it is our duty to extend our wishes to the happiness of the great family of man, I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world that the rod of tyrants may be broken into pieces, and the oppressed made free; that wars may cease in all the earth, and that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace." ~ From the last Fast Day Proclamation issued by Governor Samuel Adams, Massachusetts (March 20, 1797)
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Josiah Bartlett (November 21, 1729 – May 19, 1795)
Qualifications – Bartlett was a member of the Second Continental Congress. He served in the Continental Army as a doctor. Later he served as Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court of Judicature and Governor of the state. As New Hampshire was the northern most state, it is likely that Bartlett was the first to cast the vote for independence. He was the second man to sign the Declaration, his name appearing at the top of the far right column. He was also a signer of the Articles of Confederation.
State – New Hampshire Occupation – Doctor, judge, and stateman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from somebody expressing his religious views:
"Called on the people of New Hampshire . . . to confess before God their aggravated transgressions and to implore His pardon and forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ . . . [t]hat the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be made known to all nations, pure and undefiled religion universally prevail, and the earth be fill with the glory of the Lord." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer, March 17, 1792.
"Firstly I commit my Soul into the hands of God, its great and benevolent author." ~ Last Will and Testament
Carter Braxton (September 16, 1736 – October 10, 1797)
Qualifications – Braxton was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence. As the grandson of Robert “King” Carter, he was a very wealthy man. He used his fortune in support of the Revolution. He funded privateers which the country relied heavily upon for naval support. Due to the destruction of his property by the British, he lost many ships and two plantations, he was forced to sell his home and move into a small row home in Richmond.
State – Virginia Occupation – Planter Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
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Charles Carroll of Carrollton (September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832)
Qualifications – Charles Carroll was a member of the Second Continental Congress, a delegate to the Annapolis Convention, and a Senator. As one of the richest men in America he helped finance the American Revolution. The home he fianced for his son, Homewood House, became John Hopkins University. He was one of the founders of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He was the only Catholic Signer and he was the last surviving Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
State – Maryland Occupation – Planter Religious Affiliation – Catholic, only one of three
Quotes from Carroll expressing his religious views:
"I agree with you, to hoard up wealth by saving is a paltry means of growing richer; and, yet, without fear of falling under this censure, I do not intend, as you advise, to spend my annual income: I assure you I would not accept my Father's estate upon condition of consuming the annual profits, I should be loth to make this precedent myself: the gentlemen of this Province were never fond of expense and less now than ever; in these times of necessity and oppression it is a duty every man of fortune owes his country to set an example of frugality and industry to ye common people.” ~ Letter to Henry Graves, September 15, 1765
"Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure (and) which insures to the good eternal happiness, are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments. ~ Letter to James McHenry (November 4, 1800)
“These events will be hastened by the pretended philosophy of France; divine revelation has been scoffed at by the Philosophers of the present day, the immortality of the soul treated as the dreams of fools, or the invention of knaves, & death has been declared by public authority an eternal sleep; these opinions are gaining ground amongst us & silently sapping the foundations of religion & encouragement of good, the terror of evildoers and the consolation of the poor, the miserable, and the distressed. Remove the hope & dread of future reward & punishment, the most powerful restraint on wicked action, & ye strongest inducement to virtuous ones is done away. Virtue, it may be said, is its own reward; I believe it to be so, and even in this life the only source of happiness, and this intimate & necessary connection between virtue & happiness here, & between vice & misery, is to my mind one of the surest pledge of happiness or misery in a future state of existence. But how few practice virtue merely for its own reward? Some of happy disposition & temperament, calm reflecting men, exempt in a great degree from the turbulence of passions may be virtuous for virtue’s sake. Small however is the number who are guided by reason alone, & who can always subject their passions to its dictates. He can thus act may be said to be virtuous, but reason is often inlisted on the side of the passions, or at best, when most wanted, is weakest. Hence the necessity of a superior motive for acting virtuously; Now, what motive can be stronger than ye belief, founded on revelation, that a virtuous life will be rewarded by a happy immortality? Without morals a republic cannot
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subsist any length of time; they therefore, who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime & pure, which denounces against the wicked eternal misery, & insures to the good eternal happiness are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free government.” ~ Letter to James McHenry (November 4, 1800)
"I, Charles Carroll. . . . give and bequeath my soul to God who gave it, my body to the earth, hoping that through and by the merits, sufferings, and mediation of my only Savior and Jesus Christ, I may be admitted into the Kingdom prepared by God for those who love, fear and truly serve Him." ~ Will of Charles Carroll (December 1, 1818) later replaced by a subsequent will not containing this phrase, although he re-expressed this sentiment on several subsequent occasions, including repeatedly in the latter years of his life
"On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for salvation and on his merit, not on the works I have done in obedience to his precepts." ~ Letter to Charles W. Wharton, Esq. (September 27, 1825)
"Grateful to Almighty God for the blessings which, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, He had conferred on my beloved country in her emancipation and on myself in permitting me, under circumstances of mercy, to live to the age of 89 years, and to survive the fiftieth year of independence, adopted by Congress on the 4th of July 1776, which I originally subscribed on the 2d day of August of the same year and of which I am now the last surviving signer." ~ Note written on a copy of the Declaration of Independence (August 2, 1826)
Samuel Chase (April 17, 1741 – June 19, 1811)
Qualifications – Chase served as a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed of the Declaration of Independence. Under the he was made a Supreme Court Justice.
State – Maryland Occupation – Lawyer and judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"Religion is of general and public concern, and on its support depend, in great measure, the peace and good order of government, the safety and happiness of the people. By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed upon the same equal footing, and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty." ~ Runkel v. Winemiller (1799)
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Quotes about Chase expressing his religious views:
“Judge Chase was a man of great benevolence of feeling and in all his walks, he exemplified the beauties of Christianity, of which he was a sincere professor. At the time of his death he was a communicant at St. Paul's church in Baltimore, the parish of which, when he was a child, his father had pastoral charge.” ~ B. J. Lossing, Signers of the Declaration of Independence
Abraham Clark (February 15, 1726 – September 15, 1794)
Qualifications – Clark was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives. Two interesting facts about Clark are first that while working as a surveyor, he taught himself law. When he began to practice he became known as “the poor man's councilor” because of his willingness to represent those who could not afford counsel. The second is that two of his sons served in the Continental Army. He did not speak of them in Congress until one was captured by the British, and he found out that Captain Clark was being held on the notorious prison ship the Jersey. The young man was being kept in cell and given no food or water except that which could pass through the keyhole. Congress intervened and the conditions improved.
State – New Jersey Occupation – Surveyor, lawyer, and politician Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Our Declaration of Independence I dare say you have seen. A few weeks will probably determine our fate. Perfect freedom, or Absolute Slavery. To some of us freedom or a halter. Our fates are in the hands of An Almighty God, to whom I can with pleasure confide my own; he can save us, or destroy us; his Councils are fixed and cannot be disappointed, and all his designs will be Accomplished.” ~ Letter to Elias Dayton (July 14, 1776)
“...I not only fear for New Jersey, but the Army at N. York. If the British Army should Land above them they could neither retreat or get Supplies. We have only to rely upon the Almighty, but that reliance is scarcely to be seen. At my coming to Congress, I moved for a Chaplain to Attend Prayers every morning which was carried- and some of my Starch brethren will scarcely forgive me for Naming Mr. Duche. This I did knowing without such a one many would not Attend. He hath Composed a form of Prayer Unexceptionable to all parties.” ~ Letter to James Caldwell (August 2, 1776)
“...Our General cause will I think Nevertheless Obtain a Support, he that setteth up states doth not, usually put them down in a Year, and I doubt not but by the Providence of God we shall be enabled to withstand our Foes.” ~ Letter to James Caldwell (February 4, 1777)
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George Clymer (March 16, 1739 – January 24, 1813)
Qualifications – Clymer was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he served as treasurer with Michael Hillegas. Even though he was not present when the Declaration was adopted, Clymer did sign it. He was also a signer of the Constitution, one of only five men to sign both. After the ratification of the Constitution he was elected a member of the House of Representatives. When Clymer died he was buried in Friends Burying Ground in Trenton, New Jersey. While some sources list him as an Episcopalian, there does not seem to be much support for this.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Merchant Religious Affiliation – Quaker, Episcopalian (Anglican)?
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
William Ellery (December 22, 1727 – February 15, 1820)
Qualifications – Ellery was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a Son of Liberty in his home state. He served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. He also served as a deputy governor of the state. In 1785 he became an abolitionist.
State – Rhode Island Occupation – Merchant, clerk, lawyer, judge Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from somebody expressing his religious views:
"However gradual may be the growth of Christian knowledge and moral reformation, yet unless it be begun, unless the seeds are planted, there can be no tree of knowledge and, of course, no fruit. To attempt to Christianize the heathen world and produce peace on earth and good will towards men is humane, Christian, and sublime; and, if persevered in, will, I don't doubt, in due time be successful." ~ "Lives of William Pinkney, William Ellery, and Cotton Mather", Jared Sparks, (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1860), from the Library of American Biography, Vol. VI, pp. 138-139
Quotes about Ellery’s religious views:
“In 1782, Mr. Ellery was designated by Congress to communicate to Major Genreal Greene, their estimates of his valuable services in the Southern Campaigns. In 1785, he was one of a committee to whom the definitive Treaty of Peace with Great Britain was referred. At this time, he was a judge of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. In connection with Rufus King, of New York, he made strong efforts in 1785, to have slavery in the United States www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 40
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abolished. After the new constitution was adopted in 1788, and the new government was put in operation, he was appointed collector for the port of Newport, which office he retained until his death, which occurred on the fifteenth of February, 1820, in the seventy-third year of his age. As a patriot and a Christian, his name will ever be revered.” ~ From: B. J. Lossing, Signers of the Declaration of Independence
William Floyd (December 17, 1734 – August 4, 1821)
Qualifications – Floyd was a member of both the First and Second Continental Congresses and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Under the Constitution he was elected to the first U.S. House of Representatives in addition to serving in his state’s Senate. During the Revolution Floyd’s family was forced to flee their home. Over the next seven years they lived as refugees while the British continued to use his home. Besides being deprived of their home, they were also deprived on the income it would have generated. One of the remarkable events in Floyd’s life was his move from Long Island to the Mohawk River Valley. In 1784, at the age of 50, he purchased a tract of undeveloped land. Over the next few years, at an age when other men would be cutting back on their physical labors, he spent his summers clearing the land and turning it into a productive farm. In 1803, at the age of 69, he moved his family to this farm. There he continued to work and remain in good health until just a couple years before his death.
State – New York Occupation – Farmer, soldier, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“The money which I Rec’d as of our Treasurer for the Purpose of Bearing my Expenses here, happened to be mostly of the two Emitions which were put out of Circulation about the time I arrived here. Some of it I have Changed, the Rest I cannot, without a Loss of ten per Cent and God knows I am not in Circumstances to put it on Interest.” ~ Letter to George Clinton (Feb. 20, 1779)
Quotes about Floyd expressing his religious views:
“As a churchman Floyd was active in the incorporation of the South Haven Church in New York in 1802. At a meeting in January 19, 1802 in Samuel Carman’s house, since there was no churchwarden elders Deacons or vestrymen belonging to said Parish or Congregation Wm. Floyd Esq. and Mr. Ebenezer Hart of said Parish were named returning officers.” ~ William B. Miller, “Presbyterian Signers of the Declaration of Independence,” Journal of the Presbyterian Historical Society, XXXVI (1958)
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Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705] – April 17, 1790)
Qualifications – Franklin was a member of the Second Continental Congress. There he served on the Committee of Five which wrote the Declaration of Independence which he signed. As a self-made man, Franklin was able to devote his life to public works. Besides representing his colony’s interests to Great Britain, he served as a diplomat to France during the Revolution. There he was able to secure the much needed French support for the war. While in France he signed the Treaty of Paris which recognized American independence from Great Britain. Franklin was so valuable there, that when Jefferson was sent to take his place, he reportedly said, “No one can replace him, Sir, I am just his successor.” While in Europe, Franklin also represented the young United States to the kingdom of Sweden. When he returned to America, he was chosen a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. With his signature on that document he became the only man to sign all three documents which created this nation, the Declaration, the Treaty of Paris, and the Constitution. In addition he served as Postmaster General, streamlining American mail delivery, as president/governor of Pennsylvania, and as cofounder of the first abolition society in North America.
The faith of Benjamin Franklin is not easily determined. He was raised a Congregationalist, but as a youth rejected that faith in favor of deism. In that belief his practice was not militant such as was Thomas Paine’s. Franklin did not become critical of Christianity. Instead he wrote and spoke of his love for God. His attitude towards religion was one of moderation and privacy. When his friend Jedediah Andrews invited him to join a Presbyterian church, Franklin did and attended for five Sundays in a row. After that he maintained his pew and made contributions to the church, but did not attend on any kind of regular basis. When Reverend George Whitefield came to Philadelphia, Franklin came out to hear him. Of Whitefield Franklin said, “wonderful...change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seem'd as if all the world were growing religious, so that one could not walk thro' the town in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street.” The two became friends and Franklin printed several of Whitefield’s tracts. It is possible that Franklin remained a deist to the end of his life, but some have speculated that he became an Episcopalian. Having been exposed to deism as practiced in France, or just gaining in years, Franklin may have been drawn back to his Christian roots. He is buried in Christ Church, an Episcopalian church. Or it could be that Franklin’s understanding of deism is not the modern take since Franklin throughout his life wrote of the need for prayer and worship of God.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Printer, scientist, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Deist, Presbyterian, and Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“My parents had early given me religious impressions, and brought me through my childhood piously in the Dissenting way. But I was scarce fifteen, when, after doubting by turns of several points, as I found them disputed in the different books I read, I began to doubt of Revelation itself. Some books against Deism fell into my hands; they were said to be the substance of sermons preached at Boyle's Lectures. It happened that they wrought an
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effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist.” ~ Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1817)
“I believe there is one Supreme most perfect being. ... I believe He is pleased and delights in the happiness of those He has created; and since without virtue man can have no happiness in this world, I firmly believe He delights to see me virtuous.” ~ Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion, 1728
“That wise men have in all ages thought government necessary for the Good of Mankind; and, that wise governments have always thought religion necessary for the well ordering and well-being of Society, and accordingly have been ever careful to encourage and protect the ministers of it, paying them the highest publick honours, that their doctrines might thereby meet with the greater respect among the common people.” ~ On that Odd Letter of the Drum, April 1730
“History will also afford frequent Opportunities of showing the Necessity of a Publick Religion, from its Usefulness to the Publick; the Advantage of a Religious Character among private Persons; the Mischiefs of Superstition, &c. and the Excellency of the Christian Religion above all others ancient or modern.” ~ Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania, 1749, p. 22
“Work as if you were to live 100 years, pray as if you were to die to-morrow.” ~ Poor Richard's Almanack, 1757
“You yourself may find it easy to live a virtuous Life without the Assistance afforded by Religion; you having a clear Perception of the Advantages of Virtue and the Disadvantages of Vice, and possessing a Strength of Resolution sufficient to enable you to resist common Temptations. But think how great a Proportion of Mankind consists of weak and ignorant Men and Women, and of inexperienc’d and inconsiderate Youth of both Sexes, who have need of the Motives of Religion to restrain them from Vice, to support their Virtue, and retain them in the Practice of it till it becomes habitual, which is the great Point for its Security; And perhaps you are indebted to her originally that is to your Religious Education, for the Habits of Virtue upon which you now justly value yourself… If Men are so wicked as we now see them with Religion what would they be if without it?” ~ Letter to unknown recipient, December 13, 1757. This has sometimes been incorrectly portrayed as having been a letter against The Age of Reason written to Thomas Paine.
“That Being, who gave me existence, and through almost threescore years has been continually showering his favors upon me, whose very chastisements have been blessings to me; can I doubt that he loves me? And, if he loves me, can I doubt that he will go on to take care of me, not only here but hereafter? This to some may seem presumption; to me it appears the best grounded hope; hope of the future built on experience of the past.” ~ Letter to George Whitefield (June 19, 1764)
“A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district, all studied and appreciated as they merit, are the principle support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty.”
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~ Letter dated March 1778 to the Ministry of France
“We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy. The miracle in question was only performed to hasten the operation, under circumstances of present necessity, which required it.” ~ Letter to Abbé Morellet (1779)
“All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that god governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his aid?” ~ Speech to colleagues at the Constitutional Convention (1787)
“As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupt changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his divinity; tho' it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and I think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble.” ~ As quoted in Benjamin Franklin: An Exploration of a Life of Science and Service (1938) by Carl Van Doren, p. 777
“The body of Benjamin Franklin, printer, like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and guilding, lies here, food for worms. Yet the work itself shall not be lost; for it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and more beautiful edition, corrected and amended by the Author.” (Franklin’s Eulogy That He Wrote for Himself) ~ Benjamin Franklin, Works of the Late Doctor Benjamin Franklin (Dublin: P. Wogan, P. Byrne, J. More, and W. Janes, 1793), p. 149.
Elbridge Gerry (July 17, 1744 – November 23, 1814)
Qualifications – Gerry was a member of the Second Continental Congresses where he signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He was one of the Framers of the Constitution but refused to sign it because of a lack of a bill of rights. Elected to the first House of Representatives, he helped to draft the Bill of Rights. He was also elected governor of Massachusetts and vice president under James Madison. John Adams appointed Gerry as a diplomat to France where he became embroiled in the XYZ Affair. An interesting fact is that Elbridge Gerry is the namesake of gerrymandering. At the age of 70, Gerry collapsed on the way to the Senate.
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When he died he left a widow who lived until 1849, making her the last widow of a Signer. Gerry is also the only Signer buried in Washington, D.C.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Merchant and statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"With one heart and voice we may prostrate ourselves at the throne of heavenly grace and present to our Great Benefactor sincere and unfeigned thanks for His infinite goodness and mercy towards us from our birth to the present moment for having above all things illuminated us by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, presenting to our view the happy prospect of a blessed immortality." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise, October 24, 1810
"And deeply impressed with a scene of our unparalleled ingratitude, let us contemplate the blessings which have flowed from the unlimited grave and favor of offended Deity, that we are still permitted to enjoy the first of Heaven’s blessings: the Gospel of Jesus Christ." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer, March 6, 1812
"And for our unparalleled ingratitude to that Adorable Being Who has seated us in a land irradiated by the cheering beams of the Gospel of Jesus Christ . . . let us fall prostrate before offended Deity, confess sincerely and penitently our manifold sins and our unworthiness of the least of His Divine favors, fervently implore His pardon through the merits of our mediator." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer, March 13, 1811
Button Gwinnett (baptized April 10, 1735 - died May 19, 1777)
Qualifications – Gwinnett was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He also served as governor of Georgia. He wrote much of the original draft for Georgia’s constitution. An interesting fact is that Button Gwinnett was killed in a duel with General McIntosh less than a year after signing the Declaration. Due to his early death and few writings, his signature is one of the most valuable. Raised in the Anglican Church, upon moving from England to Georgia, Gwinnett joined the same Congregationalist congregation as fellow signer Lyman Hall.
State – Georgia Occupation – Merchant and planter Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican) / Congregationalist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are unavailable.
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Lyman Hall (April 12, 1724 – October 19, 1790)
Qualifications – Hall was a member of the Second Continental Congress and served as governor of Georgia. He helped to found the University of Georgia.
State – Georgia Occupation – Minister, teacher, doctor, planter, judge, statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from Hall expressing his religious views:
"In addition, therefore, to wholesome laws restraining vice, every encouragement ought to be given to introduce religion, and learned clergy to perform divine worship in honor to God, and to cultivate principles of religion and virtue among our citizens." ~ Address to the Legislature of Georgia (July 8, 1783)
Quotes about Hall’s religious views:
“From a view of the profligate and wicked lives of many in the community, it appears that some laws to restrain vice and encourage virtue are of the highest importance to the welfare of the State; it being certain that almost all the evils of government originate from men of corrupt principles and abandoned manners.
“In addition, therefore, to wholesome laws restraining vice, every encouragement ought to be given to introduce religion, and learned clergy to perform divine worship in honor to God, and to cultivate principles of religion and virtue among our citizens.” ~ Address to the legislature of Georgia (July 8, 1783)
"Beneath this stone rest the remains of the Hon. Lyman Hall, Formerly Governor of this State, who departed this life the 19th of Oct., 1790, in the 67th year of his age." \n"In the cause of America he was uniformly a patriot. In the incumbent duties of a husband and a father he acquitted himself with affection and tenderness. But, reader, above all, know from this inscription that he left the probationary scene as a true Christian and an honest man." ~ Hall's epitaph
“Lyman Hall was one of the four signers [of the Declaration of Independence] originally trained as ministers. He eventually found his pulpit in politics, though he had to preach vigorously to inspire the "congregation" of Georgia. He enthusiastically sparked the slow-developing independence movement there with George Walton and recruited Button Gwinnett, the third Georgia signer. Somehow Hall also managed to pursue careers as doctor, planter, and Governor.” ~ Robert G. Ferris, Signers of the Declaration: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Declaration of Independence published by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service: Washington, D.C. (revised edition 1975), pages 65-67
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John Hancock (January 23, 1737 [O.S. January 12, 1736] – October 8, 1793)
Qualifications – Hancock was a chosen to be a member of both the First and Second Continental Congresses. He could not attend the former but in the latter congress he served as its second and longest serving president and over saw the vote for independence and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. He is only one of two men who signed that document on July 4th and was the first to sign on August 2nd. He also served his home state in its legislature and twice as its governor. He was a signer of the Articles of Confederation. Hancock, one of the richest men in Massachusetts, financed many of the activities of the Sons of Liberty of which he was a member.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Merchant and statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from Hancock expressing his religious views:
"Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. ... Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us." ~ "History of the United States of America" Vol. II, p. 229.
"I John Hancock, . . . being advanced in years and being of perfect mind and memory-thanks be given to God- therefore calling to mind the mortality of my body and knowing it is appointed for all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make and ordain this my last will and testament…Principally and first of all, I give and recommend my soul into the hands of God that gave it: and my body I recommend to the earth . . . nothing doubting but at the general resurrection I shall receive the same again by the mercy and power of God. . ." ~ Will of John Hancock
"We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!" ~ This was a rallying cry of the American Revolution which is sometimes attributed to Hancock
“In circumstances as dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments, …at the same time all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only on that God rules in the armies of Heaven, and without His whole blessing, the best human counsels are but foolishness… Resolved; …Thursday the 11th of May…to humble themselves before God under the heavy judgments felt and feared, to confess the sins that have deserved them, to implore the Forgiveness of all our transgressions, and a spirit of repentance and reformation …and a Blessing on the … Union of the American Colonies in Defense of their Rights [for which hitherto we desire to thank Almighty God]…That the people of Great Britain and their rulers may have their eyes opened to discern the things that shall make for the peace of the nation…for the redress of America’s many grievances, the restoration of all her invaded liberties, and their security to the latest generations.” ~ A Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, with a total abstinence from labor and recreation. Proclamation on April 15, 1775 issued by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress of which Hancock was president
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He also called on the State of Massachusetts to pray:
"[T]hat all nations may bow to the scepter of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that the whole earth may be filled with his glory." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Public Thanksgiving (October 28, 1784)
"[T]hat the spiritual kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be continually increasing until the whole earth shall be filled with His glory." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Public Thanksgiving (October 29, 1788)
"[T]o confess their sins and to implore forgiveness of God through the merits of the Savior of the World." ~ Proclamation For a Day of Fasting and Prayer (March 16, 1789)
"[T]o cause the benign religion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to be known, understood, and practiced among all the inhabitants of the earth." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving and Praise (September 16, 1790)
"[T]o confess their sins before God and implore His forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer (February 11, 1791)
"[T]hat He would finally overrule all events to the advancement of the Redeemer’s kingdom and the establishment of universal peace and good will among men." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Fasting, Prayer and Humiliation (February 24, 1792)
"[T]hat the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be established in peace and righteousness among all the nations of the earth." ~ Proclamation for a Day of Public Thanksgiving (October 25, 1792)
"[T]hat with true contrition of heart we may confess our sins, resolve to forsake them, and implore the Divine forgiveness, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, our Savior. . . . And finally to overrule all the commotions in the world to the spreading the true religion of our Lord Jesus Christ in its purity and power among all the people of the earth." ~ Proclamation for Day of Public Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer (March 4, 1793)
Benjamin Harrison V (December 13, 1726 – April 24, 1791)
Qualifications – Harrison was a member of the Second Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the signing Harrison commented to fellow signer Elbridge Gerry that, “When the time of hanging comes,I shall have the advantage over you. It will be all over with me in a minute, but you will be kicking in the air for half an hour after I am gone.” Gerry was slight of stature while Harrison was a robust man. In
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congress, as he had in his home state, he served on a number of important committees. He chaired the Committee of the Whole which was the first to hear the draft of the Declaration. Harrison did not serve in the Continental Army, but went with Washington to Cambridge to plan how the new army would operate. During the war Harrison’s home, Berkeley Plantation was attacked by Benedict Arnold leading British forces. Many of the most valuable possession of the family were burnt. The plantation had been in Harrison’s family since at least 1634. Berkeley Plantation is on the site of the Berkeley Hundred where the first thanksgiving feast was held and which was abandoned after the Powhatan Indians massacred the settlers there in 1622. It was also where Taps was written during the Civil War. He also served as the fifth governor of Virginia. When the ratification convention was held, Harrison was chosen as chairman. Though he did not speak much due to his health, he did propose amendments to be added.
Note: This is not the same Benjamin Harrison who was president; that was his great-grandson. His son, William Henry Harrison was the 9th president. Benjamin Harrison V is also related through his mother Ann Carter to Robert E. Lee. Through his wife, Harrison was related to George Washington.
State – Virginia Occupation – Planter and statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
John Hart (c. 1707 or 1711 – May 11, 1779)
Qualifications – Hart was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Hart also served in various political offices in his home state. His election as Speaker of the newly formed New Jersey General Assembly had him leaving Philadelphia in August. As the New Jersey delegation of which he was a member did not arrive at the Second Continental Congress until June of 1776, his was one of the shortest tenures in that body. During the war his position of Speaker made him a target for the British. Hart was forced to flee his farm, which the British damaged. After Washington’s victory at Trenton, Hart was able to return home. Just before the Battle of Monmouth he invited the Continental Army to camp upon his land. For three days 12,000 soldiers made his fields their home. Washington himself dined with Hart on at least one occasion.
On the personal side, Hart was a member of Pennington Presbyterian Church. Finding that local Baptists were looking for a place to build a church, he donated some of his land for their use. Hart is descended from Edward Hart of Flushing, Long Island who in 1657 wrote the Flushing Remonstrance, believed to be the earliest statement on religious freedom in America. His nickname was “Honest John.”
State – New Jersey Occupation – Farmer, judge, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“…We will look for the permanency and stability of our new government to Him who bringeth princes to nothing and teacheth senators wisdom.” ~ Address on Oct. 5, 1776, from the Papers of William Livingston
“Thanks be given unto Almighty God therefore, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to die and after that the judgment [Hebrews 9:27] . . . principally, I give and recommend my soul into the hands of Almighty God who gave it and my body to the earth to be buried in a decent and Christian like manner . . . to receive the same again at the general resurrection by the mighty power of God.” ~ Last will and testament, attested April 16, 1779
Joseph Hewes (January 23, 1730 – November 10, 1779)
Qualifications –Hewes was a member of the First and Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He also served as the first Secretary of the Navy. Hewes was raised a Quaker by his parents. The war changed that. Hewes was one of the earliest voices for independence. Even though it would hurt him financially as a merchant, he enthusiastically supported the nonimportation agreement adopted by the First Continental Congress. When the fighting began, Hewes support must have upset the pacifist Quakers, but there is no record of his leaving that faith or of his being read out of the meetings. When he died though, the only signer to do so while attending their public duties in the capital, he was buried at Christ Church, an Episcopalian Church, in Philadelphia, this despite the strong Quaker presence in the capital. In his will he left bequests to several Quaker institutions. A sad note, his fiancé died just days before their wedding. Hewes never married or had children, a fact that he lamented at the end of his life.
State – North Carolina Occupation – Merchant Religious Affiliation – Quaker, Episcopalian (Anglican)?
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Thomas Heyward Jr. (July 28, 1746 – March 6, 1809)
Qualifications – Heyward was a member of the Second Continental Congress, and a signer of both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He served in the militia during the American Revolution and was taken prisoner by the British. An interesting fact is that Heyward had a daughter who was mulatto. The girl had a son named Thomas E. Miller. The boy, though 3/4th white chose to be identified as black saying, “Not having loved the white less, but having felt the Negro needed me more.”
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Occupation – Lawyer, soldier, judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from Heyward expressing his religious views are not available.
Quotes about Heyward’s religious views:
“When they took Charleston, they captured Heyward, who as helpless to defend the city. He was imprisoned at St. Augustine, Fl., until July 1781. Shortly before his release, he celebrated Independence Day by setting patriotic verses to the British national anthem. ‘God save the King’ because ‘God save the thirteen States,’ a rendition that soon echoed from New Hampshire to Georgia.” ~ From: Robert G. Ferris (editor), Signers of the Declaration: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, published by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service: Washington, D.C. (revised edition 1975), page 76
William Hooper (June 17, 1742 – October 14, 1790)
Qualifications – Hooper was a member of the Second Continental Congress. Due to his efforts on behalf of his home state, he was not present when the vote was made on independence though he arrived in Philadelphia in time to sign the Declaration. During the Revolution the British burnt his estates at both Wilmington and Finian in North Carolina. During that time he was separated from his family and illness kept them apart for a year. During the debates on ratifying the Constitution, Hooper campaigned in favor of it. An interesting note is that his father had hoped his son would follow him and become a minister, but Hooper chose the law studying under James Otis Jr.
State – North Carolina Occupation – Lawyer and judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Stephen Hopkins (March 7, 1707 – July 13, 1785)
Qualifications – Hopkins was a member of both the First and Second Continental Congress. At the latter he became the second oldest man, after Benjamin Franklin, to sign the Declaration of Independence. His signature on that document is has a shaky appearance. During the signing on August 2, 1776, Hopkins said, “My hand trembles, but my heart does not.” He also signed the Articles of Confederation. Before the Revolution, Hopkins served as governor four times between 1755 and 1768. Rhode Island was unusual in that the people elected their governors.
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Chief Justice and Royal Governor, Chancellor of Brown University. Nicknamed "Old Grape and Guts."
State – Rhode Island Occupation – Farmer, surveyor, merchant, ship owner, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)/Quaker (Society of Friends)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"We finally beg leave to assert that the first planters of these colonies were pious Christians; were faithful subjects; who, with a fortitude and perseverance little known and less considered, settled these wild countries by God's goodness and their own amazing labors [and] thereby added a most valuable dependence to the crown of Great- Britain; were ever dutifully subservient to her interests; so taught their children that not one has been disaffected to this day; but all have honestly obeyed every royal command and cheerfully submitted to every constitutional law; . . . have carefully avoided every offensive measure . . . have never been troublesome or expensive to the mother country; have kept due order and supported a regular government; have maintained peace and practiced Christianity; and in all conditions and in every relation have demeaned themselves as loyal, as dutiful, and as faithful subjects ought; and that no kingdom or state hath, or ever had, colonies more quiet, more obedient, or more profitable, than these have ever been." ~- The Rights of Colonies Examined (Providence: William Goddard, 1765), pp. 23-24
“But, principally, and most of all finding that the merciful and beneficent goodness of Almighty God; by the blessed Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord: hath by the blessed Spirit taught all, who honestly obey its Divine Dictates, that, the keeping any of his rational Creatures in Bondage, who are capable of taking care of, and providing for themselves in a State of Freedom: is, altogather [sic] inconsistent with his Holy and Righteous Will.” ~ The manumission document for his manservant Saint Jago freed on October 28, 1772
Quotes about Hopkins expressing his religious views:
“He went to his grave honored as a skillful legislator, a righteous judge, and able representative, a dignified and upright Governor.” ~ Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence
“His mother was the daughter of one of the first Baptist ministers of Providence... He was a sincere and consistent Christian, and the impress of his profession was upon all his deeds.” ~ B. J. Lossing, Signers of the Declaration of Independence
“Through life he had been a constant attendant of the religious meetings of Friends, or Quakers, and was ever distinguished among men as a sincere Christian.” ~ B. J. Lossing, Eminent Americans
“Stephen Hopkins was an Episcopalian (with Baptist ancestry) and a devout Christian.” ~ Adherents
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Francis Hopkinson (September 21, 1737 – May 9, 1791)
Qualifications – Hopkinson was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence. An interesting note is that Hopkinson may have been involved in the designing of the first flag as he was an accomplished artist. He also helped to design the Great Seal of the United States. Hopkinson also wrote essays, poems, plays, songs, and the first American opera. Among his songs are several hymns.
State – New Jersey Occupation – Author, merchant, lawyer, and judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“'Tis finish'd, thus the Saviour said.” ~ A psalm of thanksgiving, adapted to the solemnity of Easter to be performed on Sunday, the 30th of March, 1766, at Christ-Church, Philadelphia
“I have the greatest Pleasure in hearing of your Wellfare & of the happy Increase of your Family. I sincerely pray God to continue & enlarge your Satisfaction without Alloy.” ~ An entry from Hopkinson’s diary
Samuel Huntington (July 16, 1731 [O.S. July 5, 1731] – January 5, 1796)
Qualifications – Huntington was a member of the Continental Congress, 7th president of that Congress, a signer of the Articles of Confederation, president of the Connecticut Convention that ratified the Constitution, a Chief Justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court, and the third governor of Connecticut.
State – Connecticut Occupation – Lawyer, jurist, statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from Huntington expressing his religious views:
"While the great body of freeholders are acquainted with the duties which they owe to their God, to themselves, and to men, they will remain free. But if ignorance and depravity should prevail, they will inevitably lead to slavery and ruin." ~ Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution
"It becomes a people publicly to acknowledge the over-ruling hand of Divine Providence and their dependence upon the Supreme Being as their Creator and Merciful Preserver . . . and with becoming humility and sincere
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repentance to supplicate the pardon that we may obtain forgiveness through the merits and mediation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." ~ A Proclamation for a Day of Fasting, Prayer and Humiliation (March 9, 1791)
"Whereas it becomes us humbly to approach the throne of Almighty God, with gratitude and praise for the wonders which his goodness has wrought in conducting our forefathers to this western world; for his protection to them and to their posterity amid difficulties and dangers." ~ Possibly Huntington, but also possibly Reed
Quotes about Huntington’s religious views:
“Governor Huntington lived the life of the irreproachable and sincere Christian, and those who knew him most intimately, loved him most affectionately. He was a thoughtful man, and talked but little -- the expression of his mind and heart was put forth in his actions. He seemed to have a natural timidity, or modesty, which some mistook for the reserve of haughtiness, yet with those with whom he was familiar, he was free and winning in his manners. Investigation was a prominent characteristic of his mind, and when this faculty led him to a conclusion, it was difficult to turn him from the path of his determination. Hence as a devoted Christian and a true patriot, he neer swerved from duty, or looked back after he had placed his hand to the work. The cultivation of this faculty of decision we would earnestly recommend to youth, for it is the strong arm that will lead them safely through many difficulties, and win for them that sentiment of reliance in the minds of others, which is so essential in securing their esteem and confidence. It was this most important faculty which constituted the chief aid to Samuel Huntington in his progress from the humble calling of a ploughboy, to the acme of official station, where true greatness was essential, and to which none but the truly good could aspire.” ~ Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, page 55
Thomas Jefferson – See under the Presidents
Francis Lightfoot Lee (October 14, 1734 – January 11, 1797)
Qualifications – Lee was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and a Signer of the Declaration. He also served on the committee which wrote the Articles of Confederation of which he was a signer. A member of the prominent Lee family, one of the First Families of Virginia, he and Richard Henry Lee were the only two brothers to sign the Declaration. Lee left congress is 1779 wishing for the same life of quiet on his plantation which Washington desired. He was persuaded to leave home to serve in the Virginia Senate, but only for a while before he returned to his family, friends, and books.
State – Virginia Occupation – Planter Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
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Quotes about Lee expressing his religious views:
“It is said, that he had embraced the religion of the gospel, and that under its supporting hope and consolation, he made his exit in peace from the world.” ~ Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence, Pages 416-418
"Possessed of ample wealth, he used it like a philosopher and a Christian in dispensing its blessings for the benefit of his country and his fellow men." ~ B.J. Lossing, Signers of the Declaration of Independence
Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732 – June 19, 1794)
Qualifications – Richard Henry Lee was the elder brother of Signer Francis Lightfoot Lee. Richard Henry is also distinguished as the one who presented the resolution on independence, called the Lee Resolution, which passed on July 2, 1776. Lee was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He had also served as a member of the First Continental Congress in addition to his years in the Second. In addition he served in the Virginia legislature before being elected to the U.S. Senate of which he was made President pro tempore. He also formed his own regiment which he led during the French and Indian War.
State – Virginia Occupation – Planter, soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"Refiners may weave as fine a web of reason as they please, but the experience of all times shows religion to be the guardian of morals." ~ Letter to James Madison (November 26, 1784)
"Christianity, by introducing into Europe the truest principles of humanity, universal benevolence, and brotherly love, had happily abolished civil slavery. Let us who profess the same religion practice its precepts... by agreeing to this duty." ~ The first speech of Richard Henry Lee in the House of Burgesses, "Memoir of the Life of Richard Henry Lee and His Correspondence With the Most Distinguished Men in America and Europe" (Philadelphia: H.C. Carey and I. Lea, 1825), Vol. I, pp. 17-19.
Quotes about Lee expressing his religious views:
" Mr. Lee was a sincere practical Christian, a kind and affectionate husband and parent, a generous neighbor, a constant friend, and in all the relations of life, he maintained a character above reproach. "His hospitable door," says Sanderson, "was open to all; the poor and the destitute frequented it for relief, and consolation; the young for
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instruction; the old for happiness; while a numerous family of children, the offspring of two marriages, clustered around and clung to each other in fond affection, imbibing and delighted by the amiable serenity and captivating graces of his conversation. He necessities of his country occasioned frequent absence; but every return to his home was celebrated by the people as a festival; for he was their physician, their counsellor, and the arbiter of their differences. The medicines which he imported were carefully and judiciously dispensed; and the equity of his decision was never controverted by a court of law." ~ B.J. Lossing's, Signers of the Declaration of Independence
Francis Lewis (March 21, 1713 – December 30, 1803)
Qualifications – Lewis was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation. During the Revolution his home was destroyed by the British and his wife taken captive and mistreated. The Continental Congress was able to secure her release but she died of complications caused by her imprisonment. Lewis spent his wealth which he had earned from his trading expeditions in the service of his country. He served on many committees where his experience was of great benefit to the young republic. In private life he served as a vestryman for Trinity Church in New York City.
State – New York Occupation – Merchant Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Philip Livingston (January 15, 1716 – June 12, 1778)
Qualifications – Livingston was a Member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He managed to serve in his state’s Senate while continuing to serve in the Continental Congress. Livingston, who had been in poor health for some time yet would not abandon his duties to his country, died suddenly in York, Pennsylvania while serving in Congress. He was the third Signer to die after John Morton and Button Gwinnett.
State – New York Occupation – Merchant and statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Quote about Livingston expressing his religious views:
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be was uncommonly mild and affectionate to his family and friends. ,He was a firm believer in the great truths of the Christian system, and a sincere and humble follower of the divine Redeemer.” ~ Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Lynch Jr. (August 5, 1749 – 1779)
Qualifications – Lynch was a member of the Second Continental Congress along with his father Thomas Lynch Sr. The two were the only father son team to serve concurrently in congress. Just 27, he was the second youngest to sign the Declaration.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Planter, lawyer, soldier Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from Lynch expressing his religious views are not available.
Thomas McKean (March 19, 1734 – June 24, 1817)
Qualifications – McKean was a member of the First and Second Continental Congress. In the latter he was an early proponent of independence and served as president. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He helped wrote and signed the Articles of Confederation. Being a resident of both Delaware and Pennsylvania he was able to represent both at various times. He was president/governor of Delaware and later governor of Pennsylvania. He was also the Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. McKean and his family were members of the New Castle Presbyterian Church in New Castle and the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.
State – Delaware and Pennsylvania Occupation – Lawyer, justice, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"You will probably have but a short time to live. Before you launch into eternity, it behooves you to improve the time that may be allowed you in this world: it behooves you most seriously to reflect upon your past conduct; to repent of your evil deeds; to be incessant in prayers to the great and merciful God to forgive your manifold transgressions and sins; to teach you to rely upon the merit and passion of a dear Redeemer, and thereby to avoid those regions of sorrow – those doleful shades where peace and rest can never dwell, where even hope cannot enter. It behooves you to seek the [fellowship], advice, and prayers of pious and good men; to be [persistent] at the Throne of Grace, and to learn the way that leadeth to happiness. May you, reflecting upon these things, and pursuing the will of the great Father of light and life, be received into [the] company and society of angels and
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Arthur Middleton (June 26, 1742 – January 1, 1787)
Qualifications – Middleton was elected to replace his father as a member of the Second Continental Congress. With fellow member William Henry Drayton he designed the Great Seal of South Carolina. He fought in the American Revolution and along with Edward Rutledge was captured at Charleston. During the fighting in South Carolina the British sacked Middleton Place, his family’s plantation. While the building were not burned, everything inside of value was either stolen or destroyed.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Planter and soldier Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him Middleton his religious views are not available.
Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798)
Qualifications – Morris was a member of the Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence. When the delegates were signing the Declaration, Morris was reminded of the consequences by Gouverneur Morris, his half-brother and signer of the Constitution. Lewis Morris responded with, "Damn the consequences. Give me the pen." Like Francis Lewis, Morris’ home was burnt by the British during the Revolution. Morris also served in various offices in his home state.
State – New York Occupation – Merchant, land developer, and judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“…I really feel for you under your present circumstances going upon a Dangerous expedition without Powder or good men. God send you success” ~ Letter to Philip Schuyler (July 23, 1775)
“The Congress meets to day for the first time since their flight. I wish to God we had more men in Jersey, you may be assured from the best authority Howe has not more than Seven Thousand Eight hundred Sick and well, shamefull to the Continent that they do not drive him out; however let us hope for the best.” www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 58
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~ Letter to John Jay (March 8, 1777)
Robert Morris (January 31, 1734– May 8, 1806)
Qualifications – Morris was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation. For five years he served as Superintendent of Finance for the United States. His success in this office, in addition to his support for the troops, earned him the nickname "Financier of the Revolution." During the war he personally loaned 10,000 pounds to the Continental Army. After the Revolution he served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he was one of the signers. Only he and Roger Sherman signed all three documents, the Declaration, the Articles, and the Constitution. His home state chose him as one of their two representatives in the first Senate. His interests were hit hard on the Panic of 1796- 1797, and he ended his life living quietly in a modest home in Philadelphia. An interesting fact is that Morris’ brother in law was the Bishop William White. A lifelong supporter of the Anglican Church, Morris attended his brother-in-law’s churches, first St. Peter’s Church and then Christ Church where both are buried.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Merchant and financier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
John Morton (1725 – April 1, 1777)
Qualifications – Morton was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he the Declaration of Independence. He was chair of the committee that wrote the Articles of Confederation, though that he did not sign. He died before the Articles were finished. Of the Signers, he was the first man to depart.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Farmer, surveyor, and judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"With an awful reverence to the great Almighty God, Creator of all mankind, I, John Morton . . . being sick and weak in body but of sound mind and memory-thanks be given to Almighty God for the same, for all His mercies and favors-and considering the certainty of death and the uncertainty of the times thereof, do, for the settling of such temporal estate as it hath pleased God to bless me with in this life." ~ Last Will and Testament, attested January 28, 1777
Quotes about Morton expressing his religious views:
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“Mr. Morton was a professor of religion, and a truly excellent man. To the poor he was ever kind; and to an affectionate family, consisting of a wife, three sons, and five daughters, he was an affectionate husband and father. His only enemies were those who would not forgive him because of his vote in favor of independence. During his last sickness, and even on the verge of the eternal world, he remembered them, and requested those who stood round him, to tell them, that the hour would yet come, when it would be acknowledged, that his vote in favor of American independence was the most illustrious act of his life.” ~ Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence (Note, in this context the word professor would not mean an educator but someone who professes.)
“He resided there all his life, remained active in civic and church affairs, and stayed close to the people...” ~ Robert G. Ferris (editor), Signers of the Declaration: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Declaration of Independence
Thomas Nelson Jr. (December 26, 1738 – January 4, 1789)
Qualifications – Nelson was a member of the Second Continental Congress. Illness had him miss the vote on independence but he was able to return to Philadelphia in time to sign the Declaration. He also served in the convention which wrote Virginia’s constitution and as the 4th governor of that state. Nelson was a general in Virginia’s militia. He was present with Washington at the Battle of Yorktown, his home. Legend has it that when he learned that the men firing the cannons were trying to avoid hitting his home, he offered five guineas to the first man who would hit it. Lord Cornwallis has his headquarters in Nelson’s home. Nelson was a member of Grace Church in Yorktown where he was buried.
Note: Nelson was related to Peyton Randolph, Benjamin Harrison V, and Light Horse Harry Lee (the father of Robert E. Lee)
State – Virginia Occupation – Planter, soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Quotes about Nelson expressing his religious views:
“Entertaining the most ardent love for civil and religious liberty, he was among the first of that glorious band of patriots whose exertions dashed and defeated the machinations of British tyranny, and gave United America freedom and independent empire.” ~ Tribute by Colonel Innes
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William Paca (October 31, 1740 – October 13, 1799)
Qualifications – Paca was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence. He was also a delegate to the Maryland convention which ratified the Constitution. He later served as a governor of Maryland. An interesting fact is that it is believed that Paca was a Founder of Italian descent. His family’s name was originally Pacci or Pecci.
State – Marland Occupation – Lawyer and judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes about Paca expressing his religious views:
“He was a pure and active patriot, a consistent Christian, and a valuable citizen, in every sense of the word. His death was mourned as a public calamity; and his life, pure and spotless, active and useful, exhibited a bright exemplar for the imitation of the young men of America." ~ B.J. Lossing, Signers of the Declaration of Independence
Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731 – May 11, 1814)
Qualifications – Paine was a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses. He also served on the Massachusetts Provincial Council along with various other offices in the state government including attorney general. Along with signing the Declaration, Paine also signed the earlier Olive Branch Petition. An interesting note is that he prosecuted the soldiers for the Boston Massacre. He also prosecuted those involved in Shay’s Rebellion.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Teacher, merchant, chaplain, lawyer, judge Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan), later Unitarian
Quotes from Paine expressing his religious views:
"I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears." ~ The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen T. Riley and Edward W. Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 48, Robert Treat Paine’s Confession of Faith, 1749.
"I believe the Bible to be the written word of God and to contain in it the whole rule of faith and manners." ~ The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen T. Riley and Edward W. Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 49, Robert Treat Paine’s Confession of Faith, 1749. www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 61
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"When I consider that this instrument contemplates my departure from this life and all earthly enjoyments and my entrance on another state of existence, I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of his providential goodness and his forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state, acknowledging with grateful remembrance the happiness I have enjoyed in my passage through a long life. . . " ~ From the Last Will & Testament of Robert Treat Paine, attested May 11, 1814.
Quotes about Paine’s religious views:
“Previously to his commencing the study of laws he devoted some time to the subject of theology, which tended to enlarge his views of Christianity, and to confirm his belief of its truth. In 1755, he served as chaplain to the troops of the province at the northward, and afterwards preached a few times in other places.
“Few men have rendered more important services to the literary and religious institutions of a country, than did Judge Paine. He gave them all the support and influence of his office, by urging upon grand jurors the faithful execution of the laws, the support of schools, and the preservation of strict morality...
“As a scholar, he ranked high among literary men, and was distinguished for his patronage of all the useful institutions of the country. He was a founder of the American Academy established in Massachusetts in 1780, and active in its service until his death. The honorary degree of doctor of laws was conferred upon him by Harvard University.
“Judge Paine was a firm believer in the divine origin of the Christian religion. He gave full credence to the scriptures, as a revelation from God, designed to instruct mankind in a knowledge of their duty, and to guide them in the way to eternal happiness.” ~ From: Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence
John Penn (May 17, 1741 – September 14, 1788)
Qualifications – Penn was a member of the Second Continental Congress. He signed both the Declaration and the Articles of Confederation.
State – North Carolina Occupation – Lawyer Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from Penn expressing his religious views are not available.
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George Read (September 18, 1733 – September 21, 1798)
Qualifications – Read was a lawyer and statesman. He served in the Second Continental Congress and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he also signed the Constitution. He was elected president/governor of Delaware, a Senator, and made a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware. He is nicknamed "The Father of Delaware" An interesting note is that Read actually signed the Constitution twice, once for himself and once for his friend John Dickinson who had taken ill.
State – Delaware Occupation – Lawyer and statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"Delaware, 1776. Article XXII. Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust, shall make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit: I do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His Only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed forevermore; and I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New testaments to be given by Divine inspiration." ~ Oath of Public Office required by the Delaware Constitution, written by Read.
Caesar Rodney (October 7, 1728 – June 29, 1784)
Qualifications – Rodney was a soldier, a lawyer, and served as a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence. He was also elected president/governor of Delaware. An interesting fact about Rodney is that he is the one pictured on the quarter for Delaware. On July 1, 1776, he rode 80 miles through a thunderstorm to return to Philadelphia and break the tie on independence. Thomas McKean was in favor of independence and George Read was not. Rodney was suffering from skin cancer at the time of the signing though he survived for many more years.
State – Delaware Occupation – Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
George Ross (May 10, 1730 – July 14, 1779)
Qualifications – Ross was a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses. Though he was not present for the vote on independence, agreeing with the move, he was allowed to affix his name to the Declaration. He
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served in the colonial militia and on the admiralty court of Pennsylvania. He served as the vice president of his state’s constitutional convention helping to draft a declaration of rights. An interesting note is that he was originally a Tory (Loyalist) and served as the Crown’s Prosecutor for twelve years before become disgusted with their politics.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Lawyer, soldier, judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from Ross expressing his religious views:
“...I can’t help saying Heaven seems to Smile on & favour the great cause of Liberty.” ~ Letter to James Wilson (November 17, 1775)
Benjamin Rush (December 24, 1745 – April 19, 1813)
Qualifications – Rush was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration. During the Revolution he served as the Surgeon General of the Continental Army writing an order "Directions for preserving the health of soldiers" which was in use until 1908. Rush was very critical of Washington’s performance as Commander in Chief, which led to his resignation as Surgeon General. Later Rush regretted his words and became a supporter of the Commander. After the war it was Rush who trained Meriwether Lewis in the treatment of frontier illnesses and first aid. Rush personally prepared a medical kit to accompany the Corps of Discovery on the exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. He was one of the first to publish an account of dengue fever and ahead of his time in categorizing types of mental illness. He helped to found Dickinson College and taught medicine and chemistry to 3,000 doctors. He was also President of the American Society for the abolition of slavery; President of the Philadelphia Medical Society; Vice President of the Philadelphia Bible Society; and one of the Vice Presidents of the American Philosophical Society. Rush’s work in medicine and in education earned him the nicknames "Father of American Medicine" and "Father of Schools Under the Constitution."
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Doctor, chemist, teacher, writer, abolitionist, and humanitarian Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration, but I am as satisfied that it is as much the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament.” ~ Letter to Elias Boudinot (July 9, 1788)
“The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effective means of limiting Christianity from the world than by persuading mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools.”
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~ Letter to Jeremy Belknap (July 13, 1789)
“I have lately been much delighted in reading twelve of Mr. Wesley's sermons bound up in the American Magazine. In one of these he describes the rise and progress of Christianity in the human heart in a collection of circles. The outside one includes "Attendance upon public worship." The second, "Acts of piety towards God, such as prayer, praise, and a conformity to the ordinances of the Gospel." The third includes "Acts of charity and mercy to our fellow creatures." The fourth includes "Holy tempers such as...humility...gentleness...self-denial...purity--- forgiveness and love of enemies, and the like...
“In contemplating this ingenious account of the rise and progress of religion in the soul, we are struck with our duties to our fellow creatures being placed within and above the outward duties to God. How great is the love of God to his distressed children, when he dispenses with the duties to himself in their favor, and admits of an act of charity to a fellow creature as a more acceptable offering to himself, than prayer or praise.” ~ Letter to his sister dated 1790
“[C]hristianity is the only true and perfect religion; and… in proportion as mankind adopt its principles and obey its precepts; they will be wise and happy.” ~ Letter to Jeremy Belknap (March 2, 1791)
“As for myself, I am determined to remain. I may fall a victim to the epidemic, and so may you, gentlemen. But I prefer, since I am placed here by Divine Providence, to fall in performing my duty, if such must be the consequence of staying upon the ground, than to secure my life by fleeing from the post of duty allotted in the Providence of God. I will remain, if I remain alone.” ~ Comments to friends during the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793
“Such is my veneration for every religion that reveals the attributes of the Deity, or the future state of rewards and punishments, that I had rather see the opinions of Confucius or Mohammed inculcated upon our youth than see them grow up wholly devoid of a system of religious principles. But the religion I mean to recommend in this place, is that of Jesus Christ.” ~ "On the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic" (1798)
“The Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life… [T]he Bible… should be read in our schools in preference to all other books because it contains the greatest portion of that kind of knowledge which is calculated to produce private and public happiness.” ~ “A Defense of the Use of the Bible as a School Book,” Essays, Literary, Moral & Philosophical (Philadelphia: Thomas & Samuel F. Bradford, 1798), pp. 94, 100
“It is now several months since I promised to give you my reasons for preferring the Bible as a schoolbook to all other compositions. Before I state my arguments, I shall assume the five following propositions: 1. That Christianity is the only true and perfect religion; and that in proportion as mankind adopts its principles and obeys its precepts they will be wise and happy. 2. That a better knowledge of this religion is to be acquired by reading the Bible than in any other way.
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3. That the Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world. 4. That knowledge is most durable, and religious instruction most useful, when imparted in early life. 5. That the Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life.” ~ “A Defense of the Use of the Bible as a School Book,” Essays, Literary, Moral & Philosophical (Philadelphia: Thomas & Samuel F. Bradford, 1798), pp. 93-113
“A Christian cannot fail of being a republic. The history of the creation of man, and of the relation of our species to each other by birth, which is recorded in the Old Testament, is the best refutation that can be given to the divine right of kings, and the strongest argument that can be used in favor of the original and natural equality of all mankind. A Christian, I say again, cannot fail of being a republican, for every precept of the Gospel inculcates those degrees of humanity, self-denial, and brotherly kindness, which are directly opposed to the pride of monarchy and the pageantry of a court. A Christian cannot fail of being useful to the republic, for his religion teachest him, that no man ‘livith to himself.’ And lastly, a Christian cannot fail of being wholly inoffensive, for his religion teachest him, in all things do to others what he would wish, in like circumstances, thy should do to him.” ~ Letter to John Adams (January 23, 1807)
“By renouncing the Bible, philosophers swing from their moorings upon all moral subjects....It is the only correct map of the human heart that ever has been published....All systems of religion, morals, and government not founded upon it (the Bible) must perish, and how consoling the thought, it will not only survive the wreck of these systems but the world itself. "The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 1:18) ~ Letter to John Adams (January 23, 1807)
Quotes about Rush expressing his religious views:
“Piety to God was an eminent trait in the character of Dr. Rush. In all his printed works, and in all his private transactions, he expressed the most profound respect and veneration for the great Eternal… It was not only by words, but in deeds, that he expressed his reverence for the Divine character. It was his usual practice to close the day by reading to his collected family a chapter in the Bible, and afterwards by addressing his Maker in prayer, devoutly acknowledging his goodness for favors received, and humbly imploring his continued protection and blessing. His respect for Jehovah, led him to respect his ministers, who acted consistently with their high calling. He considered their office of the greatest importance to society, both in this world and that which is to come.” ~ Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence
“As a patriot, Doctor Rush was firm and inflexible; as a professional man he was skillful, candid, and honorable; as a thinker and writer, he was profound; as a Christian, zealous and consistent; and in his domestic relations, he was the centre of a circle of love and true affection. Through life the Bible was a ‘lamp to his feet’ -- his guide in all things appertaining to his duty toward God and man. Amid all his close and arduous pursuit of human knowledge, he never neglected to ‘search the Scriptures’ for that knowledge which points to the soul aright in its journey to the Spirit Land. His belief in revealed religion, and in the Divine Inspiration of the Sacred Writers, is manifested in many of his scientific productions; and during that period, at the close of the last century, when the sentiments of infidel France were infused into the minds of men in high places here, Doctor Rush's principles stood firm, and his opinions never wavered.”
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~ B. J. Lossing, Signers of the Declaration of Independence
Edward Rutledge (November 23, 1749 – January 23, 1800)
Qualifications – Rutledge served in the Second Continental Congress along with his older brother John. Under instructions from his state he initially opposed independence, but new instructions arrived in time for him to vote in favor. His home state with Georgia forced the removal of the grievance against slavery from the Declaration, and though Rutledge is often held to be the leader of that, there is no evidence that he was. He also served in the South Carolina Assembly and as an artillery commander in the militia. With Arthur Middleton he was captured by the British at the fall of Charleston. He also served as the governor of South Carolina. After the war he advocated the confiscation of the property of Loyalists. It was rumored that he died of apoplexy upon hearing of the passing of George Washington.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Lawyer Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from Rutledge expressing his religious views are not available.
Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793)
Qualifications – Sherman was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, a member of the first House of Representatives, and a Senator. He not only signed the Declaration but the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. He was also a member of the Committee of Five which drafted the Declaration. The only significant document in our founding which he did not sign was the Treaty of Paris. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Conventions where he presented the Connecticut Compromise, or Great Compromise, which settled the representation in Congress and broke a deadlock which threatened to end any hope of a new constitution.
State – Connecticut Occupation – Shoe maker, shopkeeper, lawyer, judge, statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from Sherman expressing his religious views:
"I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. That the Scriptures of the old and new testaments are a revelation from God and a complete rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him." ~ "Confession of Faith" Handwritten Creed (1788) Longer Version:
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"I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God, and a complete rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him. . . . That He made man at first perfectly holy; that the first man sinned, and as he was the public head of his posterity, they all became sinners in consequence of his first transgression, are wholly indisposed to that which is good and inclined to evil, and on account of sin are liable to all the miseries of this life, to death, and to the pains of hell forever. I believe that God . . . did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind, so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer. . . . I believe a visible church to be a congregation of those who make a credible profession of their faith in Christ, and obedience to Him, joined by the bond of the covenant. . . . I believe that the sacraments of the New Testament are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. . . . I believe that the souls of believers are at their death made perfectly holy, and immediately taken to glory: that at the end of this world there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a final judgment of all mankind, when the righteous shall be publicly acquitted by Christ the Judge and admitted to everlasting life and glory, and the wicked be sentenced to everlasting punishment."
"God commands all men everywhere to repent. He also commands them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and has assured us that all who do repent and believe shall be saved… [G]od… has absolutely promised to bestow them on all these who are willing to accept them on the terms of the Gospel – that is, in a way of free grace through the atonement. “Ask and ye shall receive [John 16:24]. Whosoever will, let him come and take of the waters of life freely [Revelation 22:17]. Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out” [John 6:37]." ~ Letter to Samuel Hopkins (June 28, 1790)
“[I]t is the duty of all to acknowledge that the Divine Law which requires us to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves, on pain of eternal damnation, is Holy, just, and good. . . . The revealed law of God is the rule of our duty.” ~ Letter to Samuel Hopkins (June 28, 1790)
“True Christians are assured that no temptation (or trial) shall happen to them but what they shall be enabled to bear; and that the grace of Christ shall be sufficient for them.” ~ Letter to Samuel Hopkins (October, 1790)
Quotes about Sherman’s religion:
"The volume which he consulted more than any other was the Bible. It was his custom, at the commencement of every session of Congress, to purchase a copy of the Scriptures, to peruse it daily, and to present it to one of his children on his return." ~ The Globe (Washington DC newspaper), August 15, 1837, p. 1
“To the above excellent traits in the character of Mr. Sherman, it may be added, that he was eminently a pious man. He was long a professor of religion, and one of its brightest ornaments. Nor was his religion that which appeared only on occasions. It was with him a principle and a habit. It appeared in the closet, in the family, on the
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bench, and in senate house. Few men had a higher reverence for the Bible; few men studied it with deeper attention; few were more intimately acquainted with the doctrines of the gospel, and the metaphysical controversies of the day. On these subjects, he maintained an extended correspondence with some of the most distinguished divines of that period, among whom were Dr. Edwards, Dr. Hopkins, Dr. Trumbull, President Dickenson, and President Witherspoon, all of whom had a high opinion of him as a theologian, and derived much instruction from their correspondence with him.” ~ Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence by the Rev. Charles A. Goodrich (1829)
In memory of THE HON. ROGER SHERMAN, ESQ, Mayor of the city of New-Haven, and Senator of the United States. He was born at Newton, in Massachusetts, April 19th, 1721, And died in -New-Haven, July 23d, A, D. 1793, aged LXXII. Possessed of a strong, clear, penetrating mind, and singular perseverance, he became the self-taught scholar, eminent for jurisprudence and policy. He was nineteen years an assistant, and twenty-three years a judge of the superior court, in high reputation. He was a Delegate in the first Congress, signed the glorious act of Independence, and many years displayed superior talents and ability in the national legislature. He was a member of the general convention, approved the federal constitution, And served his country with fidelity and honour, in the House of Representatives, and in the Senate of the United States. He was a man of approved integrity; a cool, discerning Judge; a prudent, sagacious Politician; a true, faithful, and firm Patriot. He ever adorned the profession of Christianity which he made in youth; and distinguished through life for public usefulness, died in the prospect of a blessed immortality.
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~ The tablet which covers his tomb
James Smith (September 17, 1719 – July 11, 1806)
Qualifications – Smith was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolution he was able to raise volunteer corps of militiamen who in turn elected him their captain. When the volunteers reached the size of a regiment, he was made their colonel. The titles were a sign of the troops esteem as Colonel Smith never saw battle. An interesting fact about Smith was that he would not tell people when he was born.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Lawyer, surveyor Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Quotes about Smith expressing his religious views:
“He was for many years a professor of religion, and very regular in his attendance on public worship. Notwithstanding his fondness for jest, he was more than most men ready to frown upon every expression which seemed to reflect on sacred subjects.” ~ Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence (In this context the word ‘professor’ does not mean an instructor but someone who professes a belief.)
Richard Stockton (October 1, 1730 – February 28, 1781)
Qualifications – Stockton was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served as a trustee of Princeton College, of which his father was a founder, for 26 years. It was Stockton who invited fellow Signer John Witherspoon to take the presidency of Princeton. Initially uninterested in politics, when Stockton started out he was a moderate even going so far as to draft a plan for the colonies to become a commonwealth, part of Great Britain but self-governing. This plan King George rejected. During the war Stockton was captured by the British. General Howe offered him a full pardon if Stockton would promise to peacefully obey the king. When the offer was refuse, he was thrown in prison where he was intentionally starved and kept in frigid conditions. After five weeks of such treatment he was paroled, but his health was ruined. His home was no better treated. General Cornwallis occupied it, and the British either stole or destroyed the contents. Stockton’s library, one of the finest in America, was burned.
State – New Jersey Occupation – Lawyer and judge Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"The public is generally unthankful, and I never will become a Servant of it, till I am convinced that by neglecting my own affairs I am doing more acceptable Service to God and Man." ~ Letter to Joseph Reed (1764)
“For God’s sake, my dear sir, upon the receipt of this, collect all the shoes and stockings you can, and send them off for Albany in light wagons...Therefore, I trust, with the blessing of the Almighty God, that we shall disappoint their wicked and sanguinary purposes.” ~ Letter to Abraham Clark (October 28, 1776)
"As my children will have frequent occasion of perusing this instrument, and may probably be particularly impressed with the last words of their father, I think it proper here not only to subscribe to the entire belief of the great and leading doctrines of the Christian religion, such as the being of God; the universal defection and depravity of human nature; the Divinity of the person and the completeness of the redemption purchased by the blessed Savior; the necessity of the operations of the Divine Spirit; of Divine faith accompanied with an habitual virtuous life; and the universality of the Divine Providence: but also, in the bowels of a father’s affection, to exhort and charge [my children] that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, that the way of life held up in the Christian system is calculated for the most complete happiness that can be enjoyed in this mortal state, [and] that all occasions of vice and immorality is injurious either immediately or consequentially – even in this life." ~ Last will and testament dated May 20, 1780
Thomas Stone (1743 – October 5, 1787)
Qualifications – Stone was a member of the Second Continental Congress and one of its presidents. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He also served on the committee which wrote the Articles of Confederation although he never signed it. He was nominated to be a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, but upon the death of his wife decided not to attend. Interesting fact is that he was the nephew of Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, another signer of the Declaration.
State – Maryland Occupation – Planter and lawyer Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"Shun all giddy, loose, and wicked company; they will corrupt and lead you into vice and bring you to ruin. Seek the company of sober, virtuous and good people… which will lead [you] to solid happiness." ~ Letter to his son ( October 1787) John Sanderson, Biography of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence (Philadelphia: R. W. Pomeroy, 1824), Vol. IX, p. 333
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Quotes about Stone expressing his religious views:
“Mr. Stone was a professor of religion, and distinguished for a sincere and fervent piety.” ~ Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence (Note: In this context it appears the term “professor” does not refer to an educator but to one who professes a belief.)
George Taylor (c. 1716 – February 23, 1781)
Qualifications – Taylor was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Taylor is one of eight Signers who was not born in the colonies, but he was the only one who came here as an indentured servant. He was also the only ironmaster and there he proved useful to Congress. His iron works supplied cannon balls to the Continental Army. He served in several public positions in his home state, but retired early from public life.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Colonial ironmaster, businessman, Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Matthew Thornton (1714 – June 24, 1803)
Qualifications – Thornton was a member of the Second Continental Congress. Though he did not arrive in Philadelphia until three months after Declaration had been signed, he was granted permission to add his name. In his home state he served as a surgeon to the colonial militia, as President of the Provincial Assembly, and was elected the first President of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Despite no legal training, because of his good sense and service to his state, he was made an Associate Justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire.
State – New Hampshire Occupation – Doctor, farmer, political essayist, businessman, judge Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“We would therefore recommend to the Colony at large to cultivate that Christian Union, Harmony and tender affection which is the only foundation upon which our invaluable privileges can rest with any security, or our public measures be pursued with the least prospect of success.” ~ Letter to the Inhabitants of the Colony of New Hampshire, June 2, 1775 www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 72
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“In a word, we seriously and earnestly recommend the practice of that pure and undefiled religion which embalmed the memory of our pious ancestors, as that alone upon which we can build a solid hope and confidence in the Divine protection and favor, without whose blessing all the measures of safety we have or can propose will end in our shame and disappointment.” ~ Letter to the Inhabitants of the Colony of New Hampshire, June 2, 1775
Quotes about Thornton expressing his religious views:
“Dr. Thornton was greatly beloved by all who knew him, and to the close of his long life he was a consistent and zealous Christian. He always enjoyed remarkably good health, and by the practice of those hygeian virtues, temperance and cheerfulness, he attained a patriarchal age.” ~ B. J. Lossing, Signers of the Declaration of Independence
George Walton (1749–February 2, 1804)
Qualifications – Walton was a member of the Second Continental Congress and well as the Confederation Congress. During the Revolution he served in the Georgia Militia. He was injured in the Battle of Savannah and taken prisoner by the British. He also held many offices in his home state of Georgia including governor. He also served as a Senator. An interesting note is that he killed fellow Signer Button Gwinnett in a duel less than a year the Declaration was adopted. His brother John Walton signed the Articles of Confederation.
State – Georgia Occupation – Carpenter, lawyer, soldier, judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from Walton expressing his religious views are not available.
William Whipple (January 14, 1730 – November 28, 1785)
Qualifications – Whipple was a member of the Second Continental Congress. He was also held local and state offices in New Hampshire. As a Brigadier General of the New Hampshire Militia he led troops in the Battle of Saratoga, the turning point of the Revolution, along with other battles. An interesting note, he was the master of Prince Whipple who served him during the war. Prince Whipple is famously depicted in the painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware. At the end of the war, William Whipple freed him saying he could not fight for his own freedom while keeping a slave.
State – New Hampshire Occupation – Merchant, sea captain, soldier, judge Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan) www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 73
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Quotes from Whipple expressing his religious views are unavailable.
William Williams (April 23, 1731-August 2, 1811)
Qualifications – Williams was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Williams was sent to Congress to replace Oliver Wolcott. He arrived after the vote on independence and the Declaration had been taken but in time for the signing. As a selectman for the town of Lebanon, Connecticut Williams was instrumental in raising supplies for the Continental Army.
State – Connecticut Occupation – Minister, soldier, merchant Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from Williams expressing his religious views:
“When the clause in the 6th article, which provides that 'no religious test should ever be required as a qualification to any office or trust, &c.' came under consideration, I observed I should have chose that sentence and anything relating to a religious test, had been totally omitted rather than stand as it did, but still more wished something of the kind should have been inserted, but with a reverse sense, so far as to require an explicit acknowledgment of the being of a God, his perfections and his providence, and to have been prefixed to, and stand as, the first introductory words of the Constitution, in the following or similar terms, viz. We the people of the United States, in a firm belief of the being and perfections of the one living and true God, the creator and supreme Governour of the world, in his universal providence and the authority of his laws; that he will require of all moral agents an account of their conduct; that all rightful powers among men are ordained of, and mediately derived from God; therefore in a dependence on his blessing and acknowledgment of his efficient protection in establishing our Independence, whereby it is become necessary to agree upon and settle a Constitution of federal government for ourselves, and in order to form a more perfect union &c., as it is expressed in the present introduction, do ordain &c., and instead of none, that no other religious test should ever be required &c., and that supposing, but not granting, this would be no security at all, that it would make hypocrites, &c. yet this would not be a sufficient reason against it; as it would be a public declaration against, and disapprobation of men, who did not, even with sincerity, make such a profession, and they must be left to the searcher of hearts; that it would however, be the voice of the great body of the people, and an acknowledgment proper and highly becoming them to express on this great and only occasion, and according to the course of Providence, one mean of obtaining blessings from the most high. But that since it was not, and so difficult and dubious to get inserted, I would not wish to make it a capital objection; that I had no more idea of a religious test, which should restrain offices to any particular sect, class, or denomination of men or Christians in the long list of diversity, than to regulate their bestowments by the stature or dress of the candidate, nor did I believe one sensible catholic man in the state wished for such a limitation” ~ Letter to Mr. Babcock (February 11, 1788)
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“"I freely confess such a test and acknowledgment would have given me great additional satisfaction; and I conceive the arguments against it, on the score of hypocrisy, would apply with equal force against requiring an oath from any officer of the united or individual states; and with little abatement, to any oath in any case whatever; but divine and human wisdom, with universal experience, have approved and established them as useful, and a security to mankind.
"I thought it was my duty to make the observations, in this behalf, which I did, and to bear my testimony for God; and that it was also my duty to say the Constitution, with this, and some other faults of another kind, was yet too wise and too necessary to be rejected." ~ Letter to Mr. Babcock (February 11, 1788)
Quotes about Williams’ religious views:
"[William Williams] made a profession of religion at an early age, and through the long course of his life, he was distinguished for a humble and consistent conduct and conversations. While yet almost a youth, he was elected to the office of deacon, an office which he retained during the remainder of his life. His latter days were chiefly devoted to reading, meditation, and prayer." ~ Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence by the Rev. Charles A. Goodrich (1829)
James Wilson (September 14, 1742 – August 21, 1798)
Qualifications – Wilson was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he was an advocate for independence. He signed the Declaration and later the Constitution. Considered one of the most learned men in America, he spoke no fewer than 168 times during the Constitutional Convention. It was he who proposed the 3/5ths compromise, and he advocated for the popular election of both houses of congress. He served on the Committee of Style which decided on the exact wording of the Constitution. When it was completed he worked in his home state to push for ratification. Recognizing his brilliant legal mind, George Washington nominated him as one of the original six justices of the Supreme Court. In 1790 Wilson became the first law professor at the College of Philadelphia, and the second law professor in this country after George Wythe. His Lectures on Law were published in 1804 by his son Bird Wilson. Though he is buried at Christ Church in Philadelphia, an Episcopalian Church, the Presbyterians claim him as one of their own.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Teacher, lawyer, judge, and law professor Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"A State, I cheerfully admit, is the noblest work of Man: But Man, himself, free and honest, is, I speak as to this world, the noblest work of God." ~ Chisholm v. Georgia (February 18, 1793)
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"Christianity is part of the common law." ~ Course of Lectures [vol 3, p.122]; and quoted in Updegraph v. The Commonwealth, 11 Serg, & R. 393, 403 (1824)
"All [laws], however, may be arranged in two different classes. 1. Devine 2. Human. ... But it should always be remembered that this law, natural or revealed, made for men or for nations, flows from the same Divine source: it is the law of God. ... Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is Divine." ~ Lectures on Law (1804)
"Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other. The divine law, as discovered by reason and the moral sense, forms an essential part of both." ~ Lectures on Law (1804)
"By the precepts of Christianity, and the practice of Christians, the dignity of marriage was, however restored." ~ Lectures on Law (1804)
Quotes about Wilson expressing his religious views:
“For many years, Mr. Wilson stood at the head of the Philadelphia bar, and so popular was he as an advocate, that nearly every important case that came before the higher tribunals of that State was defended by him. As a patriot none was firmer; as a Christian none sincerer; and as a husband, father, neighbor and friend, he was beloved and esteemed in the highest degree.” ~ B. J. Lossing, Signers of the Declaration of Independence
John Witherspoon (February 15, 1723 – November 15, 1794)
Qualifications – John Witherspoon was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He also helped to draft the Articles of Confederation which he also signed. One of the most influential and hardworking members of Congress, he served on over 100 committees. He also served in public offices for the state of New Jersey.
Originally from Scotland, he was persuaded to move to the colonies in order to head Princeton University, then called the College of New Jersey. In additions to his duties as president of the school and teaching some of the classes, Witherspoon also helped to begin Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey. He was one of the leaders of the Presbyterians in America. During the war Witherspoon had to evacuate the college as the British were approaching. The Nassau building, the main one on the campus, was seriously damaged and Witherspoon’s personal papers were destroyed. He saw to the rebuilding himself at considerable personal expense.
State – New Jersey Occupation – Minister, educator, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Christ Jesus – the promise of old made unto the fathers, the hope of Israel [Acts 28:20], the light of the world [John 8:12], and the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth [Romans 10:4] – is the only Savior of sinners, in opposition to all false religions and every uninstituted rite; as He Himself says (John 14:6): ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.’” ~ Sermon 15, The Absolute Necessity of Salvation Through Christ (January 2, 1758)
“While we give praise to God, the Supreme Disposer of all events, for His interposition on our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous error of trusting in, or boasting of, an arm of the flesh. If your cause is just, if your principles are pure, and if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts.
“What follows from this? That he is the best friend to American liberty, who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion, and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear down profanity and immorality of every kind.
“Whoever is an avowed enemy of God, I scruple not to call him an enemy of his country." ~ Sermon at Princeton University, The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men (May 17, 1776)
“The Christian religion is superior to every other. ... But there is not only an excellence in the Christian morals, but a manifest superiority in them to those which are derived from any other source.” ~ On the Truth of the Christian Religion, Lecture IV
“To promote true religion is the best and most effectual way of making a virtuous and regular people. Love to God and love to man is the subtance of religion; when these prevail, civil laws will have little to do. ... The magistrate (or ruling part of any society) ought to encourage piety ... [and] make it an object of public esteem. Those who are vested with civil authority ought ... to promote religion and good morals among all their government.” ~ Sermon Delivered at Public Thanksgiving After Peace
“An oath is an appeal to God, the Searcher of hearts, for the truth of what we say and always expresses or supposes an imprecation of His judgment upon us if we prevaricate. An oath, therefore, implies a belief in God and His Providence and indeed is an act of worship. ... Persons entering on public offices are also often obliged to make oath that they will faithfully execute their trust. ... In vows, there is no party but God and the person himself who makes the vow.” ~ From his Lectures on Moral Philosophy, Lecture 16 on "Oaths and Vows"
“Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ; cursed be all that learning that is not coincident with the cross of Christ; cursed be all that learning that is not subservient to the cross of Christ.”
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Oliver Wolcott (December 1, 1726 – December 1, 1797)
Qualifications – Wolcott was a delegate to the Continental Congress, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut for ten years before becoming governor. He was a Brigadier General during the American Revolution. He negotiated several treaties with the Indians. He was a delegate to the Connecticut Convention which ratified the Constitution. However he is not the Oliver Wolcott who was Secretary of State for Washington and Adams. That was his son.
State – Connecticut Occupation – Soldier, medical student, statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from Wolcott expressing his religious views:
"Through various scenes of life, God has sustained me. May He ever be my unfailing friend; may His love cherish my soul; may my heart with gratitude acknowledge His goodness; and may my desires be to Him and to the remembrance of His name….May we then turn our eyes to the bright objects above, and may God give us strength to travel the upward road. May the Divine Redeemer conduct us to that seat of bliss which He himself has prepared for His friends; at the approach of which every sorrow shall vanish from the human heart and endless scenes of glory open upon the enraptured eye. There our love to God and each other will grow stronger, and our pleasures never be dampened by the fear of future separation. How indifferent will it then be to us whether we obtained felicity by travailing the thorny or the agreeable paths of life – whether we arrived at our rest by passing through the envied and unfragrant road of greatness or sustained hardship and unmerited reproach in our journey. God’s Providence and support through the perilous perplexing labyrinths of human life will then forever excite our astonishment and love. May a happiness be granted to those I most tenderly love, which shall continue and increase through an endless existence. Your cares and burdens must be many and great, but put your trust in that God Who has hitherto supported you and me; He will not fail to take care of those who put their trust in Him….It is most evident that this land is under the protection of the Almighty, and that we shall be saved not by our wisdom nor by our might, but by the Lord of Host Who is wonderful in counsel and Almighty in all His operations." ~ Letter to Laura Wolcott (April 10, 1776)
Quotes about Wolcott’s religious views:
“In 1786, General Wolcott was elected Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, and was re-elected every year until 1796, when he was chosen Governor of the State. He was re-elected to that office in 1797, and held the station at the time of his death, which event occurred on the first day of December, of that year, in the seventy-second year of his age. As a patriot and statesman, a Christian and a man, Governor Wolcott presented a bright example; for inflexibility, virtue, piety and integrity, were his prominent characteristics.” ~ Singers of the Declaration of Independence by B. J. Lossing, page 62
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“Mr. Wolcott was also distinguished for his love of order and religion. In his last sickness he expressed, according to Dr. Backus, who preached his funeral sermon, a deep sense of his personal unworthiness and guilt. For several days before his departure, every breath seemed, to bring with it a prayer. At length, he fell asleep. He was an old man, and full of years, and went to his grave distinguished for a long series of services rendered both to his state and nation. The memory of his personal worth, of his patriotism, his integrity, his Christian walk and conversation, will go down to generations yet unborn.” ~ Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence
George Wythe (1726 - 8 June 1806)
Qualifications – Wythe was a member of the Second Continental Convention and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention though he did not sign it. Wythe was a prominent lawyer and judge. He became the first law professor at the College of William and Mary. There he instructed Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Marshall, and Henry Clay. He also undertook to rewrite Virginia’s law code, a project which took three years. Like some other Founders, Wythe’s personal finances were sacrificed to the country. His numerous committee assignments and service to his country and his state forced him to leave his affairs in the hands of those who betrayed him to the British. His own prudence saved him from ruin. Although he himself was an Anglican, Wythe’s mother was a Quaker and throughout his life Wythe was known for his Quaker dress and gentle manners. Unfortunately his end was not gentle. He was allegedly poisoned by a nephew trying to cover up a theft.
State – Virginia Occupation – Lawyer, law professor, and judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian (Anglican)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are unavailable.
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The Signers of the Articles of Confederation
After the members of the Second Continental Congress made the decision to declare independence from Great Britain, they faced a new challenge. How do they unite the thirteen new states and create a government for the new nation? They needed a constitution so in 1777 they wrote the Articles of Confederation. Though it was not ratified by all thirteen states until 1781, during the war it was the plan of government.
After dealing with a too powerful central government, the Founders were not interested in replicating it domestically. No need to fight a war just to trade London for Philadelphia. To prevent that they created a national government in which the power resided with the states and the national government was in fact quite weak. Some of the features of this government included:
Each state had one vote Nine of the thirteen states had to approve a bill before it became law Congress had not ability to tax, instead they would ask each state for money There was no executive or judiciary
The problems with the Articles were many. Congress was perpetually short of money because it had no revenue of its own and no way to make the states pay what they owed. There was no common currency. There was no way to settle disputes between the states. Within four years of the signing of the Treaty of Paris it was obvious that this first attempt at a constitution was not working and needed to be changed. But for twelve years from 1777 to 1789 it was the framework that kept the nation together.
There were 48 men who signed the Articles of Confederation. Of these 18 had signed the Declaration, so in this section we will look at 30 men. Many of these men are lesser known so not as much information on their lives is available.
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The Signers of the Articles of Confederation
Andrew Adams (January 7, 1736 – November 26, 1797)
Qualifications – Adams was a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. Later he was appointed Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court.
State – Connecticut Occupation – Lawyer and judge Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Samuel Adams – see under the Signers
Thomas Adams (1730 – August 1788)
Qualifications – Adams was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Articles of Confederation.
State – Virginia Occupation – Businessman Religious Affiliation – Protestant
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
John Banister (December 26, 1734 – September 30, 1788)
Qualifications – Banister was a member of the Second Continental Congress. He helped to write the Articles of Confederation and signed it. During the war he served as Colonel in the Virginia cavalry. The fighting in that state cost him much of his property. The British stole valuables from his home, destroyed the furnishings, and caused serious damage to the house. In addition Banister gave of his wealth to the support of the war effort. Of his efforts to create this nation his great grandson said, “With sword, purse, and pen, in the House of Burgesses, in the field, and in Congress, he did all in his power for the cause of Liberty.”
State – Virginia Occupation – Lawyer, writer Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Josiah Bartlett – see under the Signers
Daniel Carroll (July 22, 1730 – July 5, 1796)
Qualifications – Carroll was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. He was later a delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he signed that document also. Returning home he campaigned for ratification and was elected a member of the first House of Representatives. He also served in state offices.
A member of a prominent Catholic family, Carroll was the brother of John Carroll, the first American Bishop of the Catholic Church and founder of Georgetown University, and cousin of Charles Carroll who had signed the Declaration. He was the only Catholic to sign the Articles and only one of three to sign a founding document.
State – Maryland Occupation – Planter Religious Affiliation – Catholic
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
William Clingan (c.1721 – May 9, 1790)
Qualifications – Clingan was a member of the Second Continental Congress and signer of the Articles of Confederation. Beyond this he seems to have been a minor actor in our founding.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Justice of the Peace and judge Religious Affiliation – Protestant
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
John Collins (1717 – March 4, 1795)
Qualifications – Collins was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. He also served as governor of Rhode Island. He was a strong advocate for independence.
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State – Rhode Island Occupation – Farmer and lawyer Religious Affiliation – Protestant
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Francis Dana (June 13, 1743 - April 25, 1811)
Qualifications – Dana was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. He accompanied John Adams to France during the Revolution. There Dana served as secretary to the American delegation. Later he was sent as the American minister to Russia. Returning to America he became an advocate for ratification of the Constitution and was a delegate of Massachusetts ratification convention. An interesting note, his grandson was Richard Henry Dana, Jr., the author of Two Years Before the Mast.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Lawyer, judge, and diplomat Religious Affiliation – Protestant, likely Congregationalist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
John Dickinson (November 2, 1732 – February 14, 1808)
Qualifications –Dickinson served as a member of both the First and Second Continental Congresses. During the vote on independence he absented himself so as to allow the Pennsylvania delegation to vote in favor. Dickinson had hoped for reconciliation with Great Britain and so would not sign The Declaration of Independence. His refusal meant he had to leave Congress, so he joined the Pennsylvania militia despite his Quaker roots. There he rose to the rank of Brigadier General. He returned to the Second Continental Congress, this time representing Delaware, in time to sign the Articles of Confederation. After the Revolution, Dickinson attended and was made president of the Annapolis Convention which called for revision of the Articles. The attempt to fix them turned into the Constitutional Convention which Dickinson also attended. There he advocated from a strong government. He was unable to sign the Constitution due to illness so he has his friend George Read sign for him. Further, he wrote nine essays under the pseudonym Fabius in support of ratification. He also coauthored with Thomas Jefferson Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms. Dickinson also wrote the Olive Branch Petition and Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania. He also served as president/governor of both Delaware and Pennsylvania. One of the wealthiest men in his respective colonies despite his loss of property during the war, Dickinson used his wealth to help those in need. He was also an ardent abolitionist. He is nicknamed “Penman of the Revolution.”
State –Pennsylvania and Delaware www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 83
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Occupation – Farmer, lawyer, author, soldier, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Quaker and Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Kings or parliaments could not give the rights essential to happiness. ... We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings, and Lord of all the earth. They are not annexed to us by parchments and seals. They are created in us by the decrees of Providence, which establish the laws of our nature. They are born with us; exist with us; and cannot be taken from us by any human power without taking our lives. In short, they are founded on the immutable maxims of reason and justice. It would be an insult on the Divine Majesty to say that he has given or allowed any man or body of men a right to make me miserable.” ~ A Warning to the Colonies (Of the Right to Freedom; and of Traitors) (1766)
“Honor, justice and humanity call upon us to hold and to transmit to our posterity, that liberty, which we received from our ancestors. It is not our duty to leave wealth to our children; but it is our duty to leave liberty to them. No infamy, iniquity, or cruelty can exceed our own if we, born and educated in a country of freedom, entitled to its blessings and knowing their value, pusillanimously deserting the post assigned us by Divine Providence, surrender succeeding generations to a condition of wretchedness from which no human efforts, in all probability, will be sufficient to extricate them; the experience of all states mournfully demonstrating to us that when arbitrary power has been established over them, even the wisest and bravest nations that ever flourished have, in a few years, degenerated into abject and wretched vassals.” ~ A New Essay by the Pennsylvania Farmer, 1774
“We may with reverence say, that our Creator designed men for society, because otherwise they cannot be happy. They cannot be happy without freedom; nor free without security; that is, without the absence of fear; nor thus secure, without society. The conclusion is strictly syllogistic—that man cannot be free without society. Of course, they cannot be equally free without society, which freedom produces the greatest happiness.” ~ Fabius, Letters III (1788)
“As Congress is now to legislate for our extensive territory lately acquired, I pray to Heaven that they may build up the system of the government on the broad, strong, and sound principles of freedom. Curse not the inhabitants of those regions, and of the United States in general with a permission to introduce bondage [slavery.]” ~ Letter to George Logan (January 30, 1804)
“Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity.” ~ Last Will & Testament, attested March 25, 1808
“I do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His eternal Son, the one true God, and in the Holy Spirit, one God blessed forevermore; and I do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be given by Divine Inspiration.”
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~ Oath of Office for the State of Delaware recommended by Dickinson
William Henry Drayton (September 1742 – September 3, 1779)
Qualifications – Drayton was initially opposed to the colonial resistance to British rule, however this changed. After writing in favor of American obedience, in 1775 he wrote The American Claim to Rights which supported holding a continental congress. With Arthur Middleton, a fellow Carolinian and Signer of the Declaration, he helped design the Great Seal of South Carolina. He also served as Chief Justice of state's Supreme Court. Drayton was later sent to represent his state at the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. He died while in congress and was buried in Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Planter, lawyer, judge Religious Affiliation –
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“I think it my duty to declare, in the awful seat of justice and before Almighty God, that, in my opinion, the Americans can have no safety but by the Divine favor, their own virtue, and their being so prudent as not to leave it in the power of British rulers to injure them. The Almighty created America to be independent of Britain: let us beware of the impiety of being backward to act as instruments in the Almighty's hand, now extended to accomplish his purpose, and by the completion of which alone America can be secure against the craft and insidious designs of Her Enemies, Who Think Her Prosperity And POWER ALREADY BY FAR TOO GREAT.
“In a word, our piety and political safety are so blended, that to refuse our labors in this divine work is to refuse to be a great, a free, a pious, and a happy people! And now, having left the important alternative, political happiness or wretchedness, under God, in a great degree in your hands, I pray the Supreme Arbiter of the affairs of men so to direct your judgment as that you may act agreeably to what seems to be his will, revealed in his miraculous works in behalf of America bleeding at the altar of liberty.” ~ Charge to the grand jury (April 23, 1776)
James Duane (February 6, 1733 – February 1, 1797)
Qualifications – Duane was a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses. Duane early on opposed independence but changed his opinion when he saw the British use the force of arms to deny Americans their rights. He himself was forced from his home when the British occupied New York City. During his many years of service in the Second Continental Congress, Duane signed the Articles of Confederation. He was also appointed mayor of New York and served in the convention which ratified the Constitution.
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Occupation – Lawyer, judge Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Rev. Gentlemen, Our knowledge of your piety and public spirit leads us without apology to recommend to your particular attention the edition of the holy scriptures publishing by Mr. Aitken. He undertook this expensive work at a time, when from the circumstances of the war, an English edition of the Bible could not be imported, nor any opinion formed how long the obstruction might continue. On this account particularly he deserves applause and encouragement. We therefore wish you, reverend gentlemen, to examine the execution of the work, and if approved, to give it the sanction of your judgment and the weight of your recommendation. We are with very great respect, your most obedient humble servants.” ~ Letter dated Philadelphia, 1 September, 1782, on the Congress' adoption of the Aitken Bible
William Duer (March 18, 1743 – May 7, 1799)
Qualifications – Duer was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. During the war he was an important supplier for the Continental Army. He also helped to draft the original constitution for the state of New York. His speculations after the war bankrupted him and he spent several years in debtor’s prison.
State – New York Occupation – Soldier, planter, land developer, and merchant Religious Affiliation – Protestant
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are unavailable at this time.
John Hanson Jr. (April 14 [O.S. April 3] 1721 – November 22, 1783)
Qualifications – Hanson was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. He was active early on in resistance to British rule. During the Revolution he recruited and armed soldiers for Washington’s Continental Army. Because the Continental Congress was short on funds, Hanson often paid the soldier’s salaries himself. He oversaw the manufacture of firearms and gunpowder, raised funds for the war effort, and guarded prisoners kept in Maryland. When the Articles were finally ratified in 1781, Hanson was elected president of the Continental Congress. For this reason some have claimed he was the first president of the United States though no such office existed until 1789. His title was “President of the United States in Congress Assembled.” In addition Samuel Huntington was the first to serve as president under the Articles. He and Thomas McKean were also both elected president before Hanson. However, Huntington refused the office and McKean served only a short time.
State – Maryland www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 86
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Occupation – Planter, merchant Religious Affiliation – Lutheran
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Cornelius Harnett (20 April 1723 – April 28, 1781)
Qualifications – Harnett was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. A leading force in the South for independence, he was among the first there to denounce the Stamp Act. When he read out the Declaration to the people of Wilmington, North Carolina, they lifted him upon their shoulders and paraded him about town. He helped to draw up his states constitution and its bill of rights. In 1781 he was captured by the British. His imprisonment led to a decline in his health and de died shortly after being released on parole. He was buried St. James Church Yard, an Episcopal Church, though North Carolina State Library also lists him as a deist.
State – North Carolina Occupation – Farmer, merchant Religious Affiliation – Deist, Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“That there shall be no Establishment of any one religious Church or Denomination in this state in Preference of any other ... but all persons shall be at Liberty to exercise their own mode of Worship.” ~ 34th Article of the North Carolina Constitution, traditional attributed to Harnett
John Harvie (1742 – February 6, 1807)
Qualifications – Harvie was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. During the Revolution he was a colonel in the Virginia militia. He was placed in charge of purchasing and organizing supplies needed for the war effort. An interesting fact is that his father was Thomas Jefferson’s legal guardian after the death of Peter Jefferson. The two boys were raised together.
State – Virginia Occupation – Lawyer and builder Religious Affiliation – Protestant, possibly Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Thomas Heyward Jr. – see under The Signers
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Samuel Holten (June 9, 1738 – January 2, 1816)
Qualifications – Holten was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. He was later elected to the third House of Representatives.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Doctor Religious Affiliation – Protestant, likely Congregationalist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Titus Hosmer (1736 – August 4, 1780)
Qualifications – Hosmer was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. He also served in many state offices speaker of his state assembly and member of his state senate.
State – Connecticut Occupation – Lawyer, scholar, and judge Religious Affiliation – Protestant, likely Congregationalist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are unavailable.
Samuel Huntington – see under The Signers
Richard Hutson (July 9, 1748 – April 12, 1795)
Qualifications – Hutson was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. When the British captured Charleston in 1780 Hutson was taken prisoner. He was held at St. Augustine, Florida until 1781. After his release he served in many state offices. He was also a member of the state convention which ratified the Constitution.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Lawyer and judge Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are unavailable.
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Edward Langworthy (1738–1802)
Qualifications – Langworthy was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. Little is known of his origins. It is likely that his parents, who died when we a baby, had been in debtor’s prison or a poorhouse in England. Langworthy was educated at Orphan House in Savannah where he later became a teacher. He later moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he bought a part interest in a newspaper The Maryland Journal & Baltimore Advertiser. After he sold it he became an instructor at the Baltimore Academy.
State – Georgia Occupation – Teacher and newspaper editor Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Henry Laurens (March 6, 1724 [O.S. February 24, 1723] – December 8, 1792)
Qualifications – Laurens was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. He also succeeded John Hancock as a president of that body. Like many Southerners he was initially in support of Great Britain, but by 1775 he changed his mind. After serving in the Continental Congress he was sent as ambassador to the Netherlands. On one of his trips to Amsterdam his ship was captured by the British and Laurens was imprisoned in the Tower of London, the only American to be so. His imprisonment was protested by the Americans. Eventually he was released in exchange for General Lord Cornwallis. Completing his mission to the Netherlands, Laurens was sent to France to help negotiate the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolution. He returned to Charleston to rebuilt the home the British had burnt during the war. He also freed all 260 of his slaves. He was urged to return to congress and to serve at the Constitutional Convention, but he declined. He was a delegate to his state’s convention to ratify the Constitution where he voted in favor.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Planter, merchant, soldier, and diplomat Religious Affiliation – Huguenot
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“But, through the special protection of Divine Providence, a happy union of the principal inhabitants was formed, and we have hitherto miraculously escaped.
“I had the honor of being one among many who framed that Constitution. It therefore makes me happy to learn that those respectable bodies, the Baptist Congregations, are satisfied and pleased with the important event. I esteem, as equally friendly and obliging, their particular gratulations upon my being called by my country to act in the honorable station of Vice-President of the Colony, and I accept them with thankfulness.
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“Let each man among us, whether in the State or in the Church, whether in public or in private life, by example, by precept, by every becoming act, persevere, and be ready with his life and fortune to defend the just cause in which God has been pleased to engage us.
“We shall, weak as we are, succeed against those who have assumed to themselves the powers of Omnipotence, who trust in fleets and armies to determine the fight. We shall be the happy instruments of establishing liberty, civil and religious, in a wilderness, where towns and cities shall grow, whose inhabitants to the latest posterity will look back to this happy epoch, and celebrate and bless the memory of this generation. In order effectually to accomplish these great ends, it is incumbent upon us to begin wisely, and to proceed in the fear of God; and it is especially the duty of those who bear rule, to promote and encourage piety and virtue, and to discountenance every degree of vice and immorality.” ~ Letter to the Baptist Congregations in General (March 30, 1776)
“You know, my dear son, I abhor slavery. I was born in a country where slavery had been established by British kings and parliaments, as well as by the laws of that country, ages before my existence. I found the Christian religion and slavery growing under the same authority and cultivation. I nevertheless disliked it. In former days, there was no combating the prejudices of men supported by interest; the day, I hope is approaching, when, from principles of gratitude as well as justice, every man will strive to be foremost in showing his readiness to comply with the golden rule. Not less than twenty thousand pounds sterling would all my negroes produce, if sold at public auction tomorrow. I am not the man who enslaved them; they are indebted to Englishmen for that favor: nevertheless, I am devising means for manumitting many of them, and for cutting off the entail of slavery. Great powers oppose me,--the laws and customs of my country, my own and the avarice of my countrymen. What will my children say if I deprive them of so much estate? These are difficulties, but not insuperable. I will do as much as I can in my time, and leave the rest to a better hand.
“I am not one of those who arrogate the particular care of Providence in each fortunate event; nor one of those who dare trust in Providence for defence and security of their own liberty, while they enslave, and wish to continue in slavery, thousands who are as well entitled to freedom as themselves. I perceive the work before me is great. I shall appear to many as a promoter, not only of strange, but of dangerous doctrines: it will therefore be necessary to proceed with caution. You are apparently deeply interested in this affair; but, as I have no doubts concerning your concurrence and approbation, I most sincerely wish for your advice and assistance, and hope to receive both in good time.” ~ Letter to his son, 1776
Francis Lightfoot Lee – see under The Signers
Richard Henry Lee – see under The Signers
Francis Lewis – see under The Signers
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James Lovell (October 31, 1737 – July 14, 1814)
Qualifications – Lovell was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. After the Battle of Bunker Hill, Lovell was arrested for being a Patriot and transported to Nova Scotia. His father, a Tory, later joined him in Halifax as a refugee when Boston fell back to the Patriots. Lovell was exchanged and returned to Boston where he was elected to the Continental Congress. There he served on several key committees before returning to teaching with the end of the war.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Teacher Religious Affiliation – Protestant, likely Congregationalist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Henry Marchant (April 9, 1741 – August 30, 1796)
Qualifications – Marchant was a member of the Second Continental Congress and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. He also served in various state offices before being appointed by George Washington to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, a post he would hold until his death in 1796.
State – Rhode Island Occupation – Farmer, lawyer, and judge Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“And may God grant that His grace may really affect your heart with suitable impressions of His goodness. Remember that God made you, that God keeps you alive and preserves you from all harm, and gives you all the powers and the capacity whereby you are able to read of Him and of Jesus Christ, your Savior and Redeemer, and to do every other needful business of life. And while you look around you and see the great privileges and advantages you have above what other children have (of learning to read and write, of being taught the meaning of the great truths of the Bible), you must remember not to be proud on that account but to bless God and be thankful and endeavor in your turn to assist others with the knowledge you may gain.” ~ Letter to Sarah Marchant (September 9, 1777)
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John Mathews (1744 – November 17, 1802)
Qualifications – Mathews was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. He also served as term as governor of South Carolina. He was later appointed a judge.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Lawyer and judge Religious Affiliation – Protestant
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Thomas McKean – see under The Signers
Gouverneur Morris (January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816)
Qualifications – Morris was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. In congress he was a strong advocate for the Continental Army which he thought was poorly provisioned. After the Battle of Long Island his mother, a Tory, gave over the family estate for military use. After the war Morris was chosen to represent Pennsylvania to the Constitutional Convention. There he is credited with authoring the Preamble as well as a serving on the committee which drafted the final wording for the Constitution. He is nicknamed the “Penman of the Constitution” since he was responsible for much of the final form. At the convention he was also an ally of George Washington in calling for a strong central government. He was also one of the first to put forth the idea that Americans were citizens of a nation and not just of their states. He also gave more speeches during the convention than any other delegate. There he also spoke out against slavery. After the convention he was sent to France as Minister Plenipotentiary to France. There his diary recorded events during the French Revolution of which he has a poor opinion. Of interest are his family relations. His half- brother, Lewis Morris, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and he was related by marriage to Thomas Jefferson. Interestingly he was not related to Robert Morris with whom he worked so closely
State – New York and Pennsylvania Occupation – Lawyer, merchant, diplomat, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Had our Saviour addressed a chapter to the rulers of mankind, as he did many to the subjects, I am persuaded his good sense would have dictated this text; Be not wise overmuch. Had the several members, who compose our multifarious body, been only wise enough, our business would long since have been completed. But our superior abilities, or the desire of appearing to possess them, lead us to such exquisite tediousness of debate, that the most precious moments pass unheeded away like vulgar things.” www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 93
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~ Letter to General George Washington (May 21, 1778)
“Your good morals in the army give me sincere pleasure as it hath long been my fixed opinion that virtue and religion are the great sources of human happiness. More especially is it necessary in your profession firmly to rely upon the God of Battles for His guardianship and protection in the dreadful hour of trial. But of all these things you will and I hope in the merciful Lord.” ~ Letter to General Anthony Wayne (May 21, 1778)
“For avoiding the extremes of despotism or anarchy ... the only ground of hope must be on the morals of the people. I believe that religion is the only solid base of morals and that morals are the only possible support of free governments.” ~ Letter to Lord George Gordon (June 28, 1792)
“There must be religion. When that ligament is torn, society is disjointed and its members perish… [T]he most important of all lessons is the denunciation of ruin to every state that rejects the precepts of religion.” ~ “An Inaugural Discourse Delivered Before the New York Historical Society by the Honorable Gouverneur Morris, (President,) 4th September, 1816.”
“The reflection and experience of many years have led me to consider the holy writings not only as the most authentic and instructive in themselves, but as the clue to all other history. They tell us what man is, and they alone tell us why he is what he is: a contradictory creature that seeing and approving of what is good, pursues and performs what is evil. All of private and public life is there displayed. ... From the same pure fountain of wisdom we learn that vice destroys freedom; that arbitrary power is founded on public immorality.” ~ “An Inaugural Discourse Delivered Before the New York Historical Society by the Honorable Gouverneur Morris, (President,) 4th September, 1816.”
“Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man toward God.” ~ Notes on the Form of a Constitution for France
“The education of young citizens ought to form them to good manners, to accustom them to labor, to inspire them with a love of order, and to impress them with respect for lawful authority. Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man towards God. These duties are, internally, love and adoration; externally, devotion and obedience; therefore provision should bo made for maintaining divine worship as well as education. But each one has a right to entire liberty as to religion opinions, for religion is the relation between God and man ; therefore it is not within the reach of human authority.” ~ Notes on the Form of a Constitution for France
Robert Morris – see under The Signers
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John Penn – see under The Signers
Joseph Reed (August 27, 1741 – March 5, 1785)
Qualifications – Reed was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. During the Revolution Washington asked Reed to enlist in the Continental Army where he was commissioned as a colonel and served as secretary and aide-de-camp to the General. Reed also helped to design the first naval flag. He wrote in a letter to Colonel John Glover, “What do you think of a Flag with a white Ground, a tree in the middle, the motto: ‘Appeal to Heaven’.” Despite an unfortunate occurrence during the war, Reed was offered positions of brigadier general and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He declined them both. Noted for his ethics, when the British tried to bribe Reed with a large sum of money and a lucrative position in the government he retorted, “I am not worth purchasing, but such as I am, the King of Great Britain is not rich enough to do it.” After leaving the army he was elected President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania (governor). As governor he was harsh in his treatment of Loyalists. He also prosecuted Benedict Arnold for treason. Reed was generous to the veterans awarding them half pay for life. He also oversaw the end of slavery in Pennsylvania.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Lawyer, soldier Religious Affiliation – Protestant, possibly Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Daniel Roberdeau (1727 – January 5, 1795)
Qualifications – During the war Roberdeau joined a militia group known as the Associators and was made a colonel of his regiment. He worked to replace some of the delegates to the Second Continental Congress with ones who would support independence. On July 4, 1776 he was made a brigadier general. After serving on the Committee of Safety he was elected to congress himself and there he signed the Articles of Confederation. He continued with his militia activities working with General Washington at Valley Forge. He noted a lack of munitions, specifically power and musket balls, and took it on himself to set up a lead mine in Bedford County. There he built Fort Roberdeau at his own expense to protect the mine for attacks by the Indians. He was also actice in promoting the Masons in America, an act which brought him to the notice of Benjamin Franklin. An interesting note is that his son Isaac Roberdeau, also an army officer, worked with Pierre L'Enfant to layout Washington, D.C.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Merchant, soldier Religious Affiliation – Protestant, possible Huguenot www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 95
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Quotes about Roberdeau expressing his religious views:
“Having listened to the preaching of the Rev. George Whitefield, he became a follower of that eloquent minister of the gospel. But the deep religious feeling of Mr. Roberdeau did not prevent him joining the patriot forces at the commencement of the Revolution. His skill, courage, and self-reliance in all emergencies soon raised him to command, and he distinguished himself by gallantry in active service... His love of civil and religious freedom was remarkable throughout life in France and in America; and he devoted his whole soul to the cause he had at heart.” ~ Marshall, James V. The United States Manual of Biography and History
Nathaniel Scudder (May 10, 1733 – October 17, 1781)
Qualifications – Scudder was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he was one of two men form New Jersey to sign the Articles of Confederation. He actively encouraged his state to ratify the Articles. He also served in the colonel in the colonial militia and led his troops at the Battle of Monmouth. For the next few years he divided his time between politics and fighting. On October 17, 1781 he was killed in a skirmish with a British foraging party. He is the only member of the Continental Congress to die in battle.
State – New Jersey Occupation – Doctor and soldier Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Roger Sherman – see under The Signers
Jonathan Bayard Smith (February 21, 1742 – June 16, 1812)
Qualifications – Smith was an early advocate for taking up arms against Great Britain. This made him stand out in largely Quaker Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Active in civic affairs, he was asked to join the Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. He also enlisted in the militia and served as a lieutenant colonel in John Bayard's regiment. After the war he turned his attention back to business and civic affairs including education, he was on the board of two colleges, serving as an alderman, and becoming a Mason.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Merchant and soldier Religious Affiliation – Protestant www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 96
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Edward Telfair (1735 – September 17, 1807)
Qualifications – Telfair was one of the earliest voices in Georgia calling for independence. He served many terms in the Second Continental Congress in addition to offices in Georgia where he eventually settled. In congress he signed the Articles of Confederation. He also negotiated treaties with the Indians and as agent to settle the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina. He was later elected governor. He is only one of twelve men to receive an electoral vote in the first presidential election. It was just one vote from an unknown elector in his home state.
State – Georgia Occupation – Merchant Religious Affiliation – Protestant, possibly Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Nicholas Van Dyke (September 25, 1738 – February 19, 1789)
Qualifications – Van Dyke was active in his home state serving as a judge on the admiralty court and in various offices. He was elected to the Second Continental Congress and served for four years and signing the Articles of Confederation. After serving in congress he was elected President (governor) of Delaware. He held that office for 3 ½ years. While there he saw the end of the Revolution, came up with a plan to pay Delaware’s war debt, and dealt with a delicate situation involving a traitor. An interesting note is that George Washington attended his daughter’s wedding.
State – Delaware Occupation – Lawyer Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
John Walton (1738–1783)
Qualifications – Walton was a member of the Second Continental Congress where he signed the Articles of Confederation. His brother George was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence.
State – Georgia www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 97
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Occupation – Planter Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are unavailable.
John Williams (March 14, 1731 - October 10, 1799)
Qualifications – During the Revolution Williams served in the colonial militia as a colonel and in state offices before being sent to the Second Continental Congress. There he signed the Articles of Confederation. He also served as a judge before and after the Revolution. He presided over the case of Bayard v. Singleton which established judicial review at the state level before Marbury v. Madison did the same at the federal level.
State – North Carolina Occupation – Lawyer, judge, and soldier Religious Affiliation – Protestant
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
John Witherspoon – see under The Signers
Oliver Wolcott – see under the Signers
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The Framers of the Constitution
Just four years after the signing of the Treaty of Paris which acknowledged America’s independence from Great Britain the country was in crisis. Fearing to create a too powerful central government the Continental Congress had created one that was too weak. It could not pay the soldiers. It could not pay its debts. It had no way settling disputes between the states. It looked like the union would fail when Shay’s Rebellion brought these flaws to a head. It was decided to call a convention to repair the Articles of Confederation. When the delegates arrived in Philadelphia they soon came to realize that the Articles were beyond fixing. Instead they sat down and attempted to do what had never been done, craft a constitution designed to limit government and protect the rights of the people.
Beginning with the Virginia Plan presented by Edmund Randolph and based on the research done by James Madison, the 55 delegates spent four months debating how much power should be granted to the federal government. At one point the debate seemed to reach an impasse regarding the representation of large and small states in Congress. This was resolved with the Connecticut or Great Compromise proposed by Roger Sherman. This was but one of many compromises made in order to craft a document which satisfied the delegates of each state.
On September 17, 1787 the final wording of the Constitution prepared by Gouverneur Morris and the Committee on Style was presented to the convention. On that day 39 of the delegates stepped forward to sign it. Some of the original 55 had already returned home and so were unable to sign the Constitution. Others were not content with the final product and refused to sign. They were concerned that not enough had been done to ensure the rights of the individual. They and the Antifederalists led the fight which eventually gave us the Bill of Rights while the Federalists worked to persuade the people that the Constitution was their best hope for a stable government.
Over the next nine months nine states ratify the Constitution make it the law of the land. In 1789 the first government is formed under the Constitution. By 1790 all of the original 13 states have ratified it.
Some of the men who attended the Constitutional Convention had also signed the Declaration of Independence or the Articles of Confederation, so of the 55 delegates we will be looking at # Framers.
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The Framers of the Constitution
Abraham Baldwin (November 23, 1754 – March 4, 1807)
Qualifications – Abraham Baldwin was a Framer and Signer of the Constitution. After graduation from Yale, he became a minister and tutor at the college. In 1779 he became a chaplain in the Continental Army. After the war he turned down a position as professor of divinity to study law. Moving from Connecticut to Georgia he became active in the state government and in the founding of the University of Georgia of which he was the first president. After the Constitution was ratified he was elected to the first House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate.
State – Georgia Occupation – Minister, professor, lawyer Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist, Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“When the minds of the people in general are viciously disposed and unprincipled and their conduct disorderly a free government will be attended with greater confusions and evils more horrid than the wild uncultivated state of nature. It can only be happy where the public principles and opinions are properly directed and their manners regulated. This is an influence beyond the reach of laws and punishments and can be claimed only by religion and education. It should therefore be among the first objects of those who wish well to the national prosperity to encourage and support the principles of religion and morality and early to place the youth under the forming hand of society that by instruction they may be molded to the love of virtue and good order.” ~ Charter of the College of Georgia
Richard Bassett (April 2, 1745 – August 15, 1815)
Qualifications – Richard Bassett was a Framer and signer of the Constitution. Originally from Maryland, Bassett moved to Delaware when he began to practice law. In addition to his legal career, he managed his various farms and devoted much time to the Methodist Church and charity work. This garnered him the esteem of the community which pushed him into the role of revolutionary. He was appointed to many state committees and even helped to write the constitution of Delaware. He also served in elected offices eventually including governor and U.S. Senator. His most notable contribution to the Revolution was raising a battalion for the Continental Army. Though Delaware was the second smallest state the 1st Delaware Regiment was the largest in the army.
State – Delaware Occupation – Lawyer, planter, soldier, judge, and statesman Religious Affiliation – Methodist
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or appointed to any office or place of trust ... shall ... make and subscribe the following declaration, to wit: ‘I, ______, do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and 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.’” ~ The Delaware Constitution which Bassett helped to write
Quotes about Bassett expressing his religious views:
“gentlemanly, a religious enthusiast and a man of plain sense" with "modesty enough to hold his tongue.” ~ Description given at the Constitutional Convention
Gunning Bedford Jr. (1747 – March 30, 1812)
Qualifications – Gunning Bedford Jr. was one of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention representing the state of Delaware. There he signed the Constitution. In addition to his service as an officer in the Continental Army and the state offices he held, Bedford also served as a district court judge.
State – Delaware Occupation – Lawyer, soldier, judge, statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“To the triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost – be ascribed all honor and dominion, forevermore – Amen.” ~ Funeral Oration upon the Death of General George Washington
John Blair (1732 – August 31, 1800)
Qualifications – John Blair was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he signed the document as a representative of Virginia. One of the best trained jurists of his day, Blair preferred to stay out of politics. But his influence was felt as a judge in the Virginia court of appeals and on the U.S. Supreme Court. Blair believed in a permanent union of the states.
State – Virginia Occupation – Lawyer, judge Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian, Episcopalian
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“...it being appointed for all men once to die...Let us seek for comfort where alone it may be found...now as our Holy Religion teaches we may contemplate him translated to a better Life and ineffably enjoying all that variety of Bliss which Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor the Heart conceived. May the Celestial vision forever preserve you from the Gloominess of Grief and reconcile you to all the Dispensations of Him who cannot err. My situation both with Respect to my Family and Fortune (all being in the Power of the Enemy and much in their possession) is bad enough. But I trust for a happy issue and for power to bear all His appointments as I ought.” ~ A letter to his sister upon her husband's death, in which he quotes Hebrews 9:27 and I Corinthians 2:9:
William Blount (March 26, 1749 (O.S.)/April 6, 1749 (N.S.)
Qualifications – William Blount was both a member of the Continental Congress and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He was one of the signers of that document. During the American Revolution Blount served as a paymaster. With his family he provided needed supplies to the North Carolina militia and the Continental Army. After the war Blount served as the one and only governor of the Southwest Territory which became the state of Tennessee. His record of service to his country was marred by being the first U.S. official to be impeached when he was removed from the Senate. Despite his fall from grace, Blount remained popular in Tennessee where he served in the state legislature to the end of his life.
State – North Carolina Occupation – Land speculator, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian, Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
David Brearly (June 11, 1745 – August 16, 1790)
Qualifications – When the Revolution began Brearly was already serving as an officer in the New Jersey militia. He served in several battles there. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and a signer of the Constitution. He served as a judge on his state’s supreme court.
State – New Jersey Occupation – Lawyer, judge, soldier Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
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Quotes about Brearly expressing his religious views:
“When free from his judicial duties, Brearly devoted much energy to lodge and church affairs. He was one of the leading members of the Masonic Order in New Jersey, as well as State vice president of the Society of the Cincinnati, an organization of ex-Revolutionary War officers. In addition, he served as a delegate to the Episcopal General Conference (1786), and helped write the church's prayer book.” ~ Robert G. Ferris, Signers of the Constitution: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Constitution
Jacob Broom (October 17, 1752 – April 25, 1810)
Qualifications – Jacob Broom, in addition to serving his community and home state in a variety of elected offices, also represented Delaware to the Constitutional Convention where he signed the Constitution. His life was devoted to bettering his community and promoting civic improvements.
State – Delaware Occupation – farmer, surveyor, politician and public servant Religious Affiliation – Lutheran, Quaker
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“I flatter myself you will be what I wish, but don’t be so much flatterer as to relax of your application – don’t forget to be a Christian. I have said much to you on this head, and I hope an indelible impression is made.” ~ A letter to his son, James (February 24, 1794)
Quotes about Broom expressing his religious views:
“Broom also found time for philanthropic and religious activities. He served on the board of trustees of the College of Wilmington and as a lay leader at Old Swedes Church. He died at the age of 58 in 1810 while in Philadelphia and was buried there at Church Church Burial Ground.” ~ Robert G. Ferris , Signers of the Constitution: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Constitution
“It is proper to say that Jacob Broom was a God-fearing man.” ~ The Official Papers of Delaware, 1909
Pierce Butler (July 11, 1744 – February 15, 1822)
Qualifications – Pierce Butler represented his home state at both the Second Continental Congress and at the Constitutional Convention. He was an outspoken member of that body usually in the support of slavery despite his personal misgivings. Prior to his marriage he was an officer in the British Army. During the Revolution he used www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 103
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his experience as a soldier to train the Americans to fight. This put a price on his head and he suffered great losses during the war. Afterwards he worked to reunite Americans, Patriots and Loyalists.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Planter, soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Daniel Carroll – See under the Articles
George Clymer– See under the Signers
William R. Davie (June 22, 1756 – November 5, 1820)
Qualifications – William Davie took a leave from his study of law to join the North Carolina militia and defend Charleston, South Carolina. He saw action there and in his home state. He remained active in the militia throughout his life. In addition to his service to his state, including a governorship, he served at the Constitutional Convention. He left before the end of the convention so did not sign the Constitution. Back home he argued for ratification. He is known as the “Father of the University of North Carolina.”
State – North Carolina Occupation – Lawyer, soldier, politician Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Jonathan Dayton (October 16, 1760 – October 9, 1824)
Qualifications – Jonathan Dayton began his service to his country by serving in the Continental Army. After the war he divided his time between his law practice, speculating on land, and public service. He served in both the Continental Congress and at the Constitutional Convention where he was the youngest signer of the Constitution. He also served in the House of Representatives including a term as Speaker of the House, and in the Senate in addition to his offices in his home state. His later political career was ruined by his association with the Aaron Burr conspiracy.
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Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian, Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
John Dickinson – see under the Articles
Oliver Ellsworth (April 29, 1745 – November 26, 1807)
Qualifications – Oliver Ellsworth served in various state offices in Connecticut before being sent to the Second Continental Congress. He served on a forerunner to the Supreme Court and was one of eight delegates to the Constitutional Convention who had judicial experience. He was an active participant there and one of the key delegates in the Great Compromise also known as the Connecticut Compromise. Ellsworth left the convention before the Constitution was finished so he did not sign it. Back in Connecticut he was active in promoting its ratification which he wrote Letters of a Landholder to promote. After ratification he served as one of the original Senators from Connecticut. In 1796 he was nominated to the Supreme Court and served as the third Chief Justice.
State – Connecticut Occupation – Lawyer, judge, politician Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“(some) have been afraid that this clause is unfavorable to religion. But, my countrymen, the sole purpose and effect of it is to exclude persecution and to secure to you the important right of religious liberty. We are almost the only people in the world who have a full enjoyment of this important right of human nature. In our country every man has a right to worship God in that way which is most agreeable to his conscience. If he be a good and peaceable person, he is liable to no penalties or incapacities on account of his religious sentiments; or, in other words, he is not subject to persecution.” ~ Annals of America, “On a Religious Test for Holding Public Office”
William Few (June 8, 1748 – July 16, 1828)
Qualifications – William Few was a self-made man along the lines of Benjamin Franklin. He was born to a poor farmer. Few was self-educated and rose to wealth and prominence on his own effort and character. During the Revolution he joined the militia and fought under Generals Robert Howe and Benjamin Lincoln. After the war his military exploits launched his political career with Few serving in state offices before being sent to represent Georgia at the Constitutional Convention where he was one of the signers. He also served as one of the original Senators in the new federal government. He was also one of the founders of the University of Georgia. Later in life
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State – Georgia Occupation – Farmer, lawyer, soldier, politician, banker Religious Affiliation – Methodist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
Quotes about Few expressing his religious views are not available.
“A devout Methodist, he also donated generously to philanthropic causes.” ~ Robert G. Ferris, Signers of the Constitution: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Constitution
Thomas Fitzsimons (1741–1811)
Qualifications – During the troubles with Great Britain, Thomas Fitzsimons served in the colonial militia rising to the rank of captain. He served under Colonel John Caldwalader and saw action at the Battle of Trenton. He also helped to organize the Pennsylvania Navy. After the surrender of Cornwallis, Fitzsimons joined the Continental Congress in addition to serving in state offices. He joined the large delegation which represented Pennsylvania at the Constitutional Convention was not very active there though he was one of the signers. With the Constitution ratified he served in the first three Houses of Representatives.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Merchant, statesman, soldier Religious Affiliation – Catholic
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Quotes about Fitzsimons expressing his religious views:
“Fitzsimons never ceased his philanthropy. He was an outstanding supporter of Philadelphia's St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church.” ~ Robert G. Ferris, Signers of the Constitution: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Constitution
Benjamin Franklin – see under the Signers
Elbridge Gerry – see under the Signers
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Nicholas Gilman (August 3, 1755 – May 2, 1814)
Qualifications – Nicholas Gilman was drawn into the Patriot cause through the conflict between New England merchants and the Crown. In 1776 he joined a New Hampshire regiment serving in many campaigns. After the war he abandoned his merchant pursuits to serve his state representing New Hampshire to the Continental Congress and at the Constitutional Convention where he was one of the two from his state to sign it. He then served as a member of the House of Representatives and Senate along with 14 terms as governor.
State – New Hampshire Occupation – Clerk, soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Nathaniel Gorham (May 27, 1738 – June 11, 1796)
Qualifications – Nathaniel Gorham was active in the civic life of his colony serving in various local and state offices before being sent to represent his state to the Continental Congress where he served briefly as president. He also represented Massachusetts at the Constitutional Convention. At the convention he served as chairman of the Committee of the Whole which meant he led many of the meetings of the convention. He not only signed the Constitution but actively promoted its ratification.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Merchant, statesman, judge Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 – July 12, 1804)
Qualifications – Born in the Caribbean, it was Alexander Hamilton’s work as a clerk that brought him to the American Colonies. His first efforts for the Patriot cause were the authoring of pamphlets including The Farmer Refuted. When the fighting broke out with Great Britain, Hamilton joined a New York militia company. He took part in several battles before becoming an aide to Nathanael Greene followed by aide to General George Washington. He served Washington throughout the war until the Siege of Yorktown when Washington granted Hamilton’s request to lead troops against the British fortifications.
After the war he served in Congress where he was critical of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. He helped lead the call for a new constitution. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he was the only one from New York to sign the document. Perhaps his greatest contribution came during the debates on www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 107
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ratification when he with James Madison and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers. Though there is dispute on who wrote some of the essays it is known that Hamilton was the lead author writing more of the essays than the other two. In the new federal government, Hamilton was selected as the first Secretary of the Treasury where he is credited for putting the new nation on a solid financial footing.
State – New York Occupation – Clerk, soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Huguenot, Presbyterian, Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.” ~ The Farmer Refuted (February 23, 1775)
“The fundamental source of all your errors, sophisms and false reasonings is a total ignorance of the natural rights of mankind. Were you once to become acquainted with these, you could never entertain a thought, that all men are not, by nature, entitled to a parity of privileges. You would be convinced, that natural liberty is a gift of the beneficent Creator to the whole human race, and that civil liberty is founded in that; and cannot be wrested from any people, without the most manifest violation of justice.” ~ The Farmer Refuted (February 23, 1775)
“For my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests.” ~ Comment made in 1787 after the Constitutional Convention
“The attempt by the rulers of a nation to destroy all religious opinion, and to pervert a whole nation to atheism, is a phenomenon of profligacy reserved to consummate the infamy of the unprincipled reformers of France. The proofs of this terrible design are numerous and convincing.” ~ "The Stand, Number III" (April 7, 1798)
“I now offer you the outline of the plan they have suggested. Let an association be formed to be denominated 'The Christian Constitutional Society,' its object to be first: The support of the Christian religion. Second: The support of the United States.” ~ Letter to James Bayard (1802)
“I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror upon its authenticity I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor. I can prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man.” ~ As reported by General Morton
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“I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy; pray for me.” ~ At his death (July 12, 1804)
Quotes about Hamilton expressing his religious views:
“[I]mmediately after he was brought from [the field] . . . a message was sent informing me of the sad event, accompanied by a request from General Hamilton that I would come to him for the purpose of administering the Holy Communion. I went. . . . I proceeded to converse with him on the subject of his receiving the Communion; and told him that with respect to the qualifications of those who wished to become partakers of that holy ordinance, my inquires could not be made in language more expressive than that which was used by our [own] Church. – [I asked], “Do you sincerely repent of your sins past? Have you a lively faith in God’s mercy through Christ, with a thankful remembrance of the death of Christ? And are you disposed to live in love and charity with all men?” He lifted up his hands and said, “With the utmost sincerity of heart I can answer those questions in the affirmative – I have no ill will against Col. Burr. I met him with a fixed resolution to do him no harm – I forgive all that happened.” . . . The Communion was then administered, which he received with great devotion, and his heart afterwards appeared to be perfectly at rest. I saw him again this morning, when, with his last faltering words, he expressed a strong confidence in the mercy of God through the intercession of the Redeemer. I remained with him until 2 o’clock this afternoon, when death closed the awful scene – he expired without a struggle, and almost without a groan. By reflecting on this melancholy event, let the - humble believer be encouraged ever to hold fast that precious faith which is the only source of true consolation in the last extremity of nature. [And l]et the infidel be persuaded to abandon his opposition to that Gospel which the strong, inquisitive, and comprehensive mind of a Hamilton embraced.” ~ Reverend Benjamin Moore
“One other consequence of Hamilton’s untimely death was that it permanently halted the formation of a religious society Hamilton had proposed. Hamilton suggested that it be named the Christian Constitutional Society, and listed two goals for its formation: first, the support of the Christian religion; and second, the support of the Constitution of the United States. This organization was to have numerous clubs throughout each state which would meet regularly and work to elect to office those who reflected the goals of the Christian Constitutional Society.” ~ The Works of Alexander Hamilton, John C. Hamilton, editor (New York: John F. Trow, 1851), Vol. VI, p. 542
William Churchill Houston (1755 – August 12, 1788)
Qualifications – William C. Houston’s involvement in the Revolution began when the British occupied Princeton, New Jersey where he was a teacher. Instead of returning home he joined the militia. He returned to teaching after the British left the college. At the same time he began his public service in several state offices before being sent to the Continental Congress. He also represented New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention but his health forced him to leave after only a few weeks.
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State – New Jersey Occupation – Teacher, lawyer, judge, statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
William Houstoun (1755 - March 17, 1813)
Qualifications – An early advocate for the rights of colonists, William Houstoun left college in England to return to Georgia to promote those rights. He represented his home state to the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. He stayed at the latter less than two months leaving long before the Constitution was completed.
State – Georgia Occupation – Planter, lawyer, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Jared Ingersoll (October 24, 1749– October 31, 1822)
Qualifications – Jared Ingersoll’s father was an important British official in Connecticut. The most hated man in that colony he was hung in effigy both there and in Virginia before being tarred and feathered. The younger Ingersoll wished to remain loyal to his father but agreed with the Patriots. To avoid this conflict he spent some of the war in Great Britain working on his law studies and touring. Once America declared independence Ingersoll declared for America. He returned home to practice law and was chosen a member of the Continental Congress. His legal mind saw many flaws in the Articles of Confederation and worked to reform it. He was appointed to the Constitutional Convention where he signed that document. After the convention his service was mainly to his home state though he did argue precedent setting cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, possibly his greatest contribution.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Lawyer, judge Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
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Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer (1723 – 16 November 1790)
Qualifications – The son of a wealthy planter, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer worked before the Revolution in the employ of the proprietors of the colony of Maryland. In that position he defended the rights of the owners of the colony and resented the impositions of the British crown. When the Revolution began he joined the side of the Patriots even though they had formerly been against the proprietors. He served in the Continental Congress and state offices before being sent to represent Maryland at the Constitutional Convention. Like his friend Benjamin Franklin, St. Thomas Jenifer was one of the elder statesmen of that body who used his years of experience to guide his fellow delegates and his sense of humor to smooth over difficulties.
State – Maryland Occupation – Planter, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“In the name of God, Amen. I, Daniel of Saint Thomas Jenifer... of dispossing mind and memory, commend my soul to my blessed Redeemer...” ~ Last will and testament
William Samuel Johnson (October 17, 1727- November 14, 1819)
Qualifications – William Samuel Johnson was educated in the law and spent many years using his knowledge to help his home colony of Connecticut. While supporting their interests, Johnson endeavored to avoid the extremes of either the Patriots or the Loyalists. He represented his colony in Great Britain and at the Stamp Act Congress, and on the colonial Supreme Court and several state offices. He represented his state at the Constitutional Convention and later served as one of the state’s first Senators. He was also considered a leading scholar and served as president of Columbia University.
State – Connecticut Occupation – Lawyer, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian, Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“For my part I have seen so much of the follies and villanies of the world, particularly the political part of it, where, as you justly remark, the practice is still the good of the public and the support of Government, while the real object is wealth, or power, or some other dirty selfish view, that I am heartily sick of politics and am endeavoring to forget all I have observed upon that subject; to erase from my mind every political idea as relative to the present conduct of affairs; and to attend to my own duty only as a Christian, a man, and a member of society. When iniquity abounds the love of many will wax cold. Iniquity does now abound; let us take care that our www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 111
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Christianity (though put to the test as I doubt not yours has sufficiently been), be not in any degree shaken, and that our love for those things that are really good wax not cold. Most of those things are not worth a wise man's care, and a day of retribution is at hand when all those apparently perverse things will be set right to universal satisfaction.” ~ Letter to Robert Temple, (September 10, 1772)
“You this day. . . . have, by the favor of Providence and the attention of friends, received a public education, the purpose whereof hath been to qualify you the better to serve your Creator and your country. You have this day invited this audience to witness the progress you have made. . . . Thus you assume the character of scholars, of men, and of citizens. . . . Go, then, . . . and exercise them with diligence, fidelity, and zeal. . . . Your first great duties, you are sensible, are those you owe to Heaven, to your Creator and Redeemer. Let these be ever present to your minds, and exemplified in your lives and conduct. Imprint deep upon your minds the principles of piety towards God, and a reverence and fear of His holy name. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and its [practice] is everlasting [happiness] . . . . Reflect deeply and often upon [your] relations [with God]. Remember that it is in God you live and move and have your being, – that, in the language of David, He is about your bed and about your path and spieth out all your ways – that there is not a thought in your hearts, nor a word upon your tongues, but lo! He knoweth them al¬together, and that He will one day call you to a strict account for all your conduct in this mortal life. Remember, too, that you are the redeemed of the Lord, that you are bought with a price, even the inestimable price of the precious blood of the Son of God. Adore Jehovah, therefore, as your God and your Judge. Love, fear, and serve Him as your Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Acquaint yourselves with Him in His word and holy ordinances. . . . [G]o forth into the world firmly resolved neither to be allured by its vanities nor contaminated by its vices, but to run with patience and perseverance, with firmness and [cheerfulness], the glorious career of religion, honor, and virtue. . . . Finally, . . . in the elegant and expressive language are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” – and do them, and the God of peace shall be with you, to whose most gracious protection I now commend you, humbly imploring Almighty Goodness that He will be your guardian and your guide, your protector and the rock of your defense, your Savior and your God.” ~ An address to graduates at Columbia University
Rufus King (March 24, 1755 – April 29, 1827)
Qualifications – Rufus King was still in college when the Revolution began. Though the fighting interrupted his studies, the buildings at Harvard were turned over for military use, he still finished and applied himself to the study of law. After passing the bar he took another leave to serve in the army as an aide-de-camp before returning to the law. From there he entered into state office before being sent to represent Massachusetts to the Continental Congress. He also served at the Constitutional Convention. Afterwards he moved to New York and was elected one the first Senators from the state and we reelected some years later. He also served as an ambassador to Great Britain. He was also a noted early abolitionist.
State – Massachusetts
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Occupation – Lawyer, statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist, Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“In our laws ... by the oath which they prescribe, we appeal to the Supreme Being so to deal with us hereafter as we observe the obligation of our oaths. The Pagan world were and are without the mighty influence of this principle which is proclaimed in the Christian system - their morals were destitute of its powerful sanction while their oaths neither awakened the hopes nor fears which a belief in Christianity inspires.” ~ "Reports of the Proceedings and Debates of the Convention of 1821
John Langdon (June 26, 1741 – September 18, 1819)
Qualifications – John Langdon was a merchant and captain of a trade ship before the Revolution began. When it did he set aside his personal interests to raise troops in defense of his country. He and his men were able to disarm the garrison Great Island securing the weapons there for the Patriots. He was then sent to the Second Continental Congress but left the month before that body declared independence. Instead he put his naval experience to use as a navy-agent before serving in the New Hampshire assembly as its speaker. Back in his home state he gave all the money he had, and pledged additional funds, to raise more troops. Towards the end of the war he was made president (governor) of his state before being sent to represent it at the Constitutional Convention. He served as the first president pro tempore of the Senate and served in that body continuously from its beginning through 1801. Returning to New Hampshire he again served as its governor. President Jefferson requested Langdon’s service as Secretary of the Navy, a post he declined.
State – New Hampshire Occupation – Merchant, sea captain, statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"In the name of God, Amen. I, John Langdon, . . . considering the uncertainty of life and that it is appointed unto all men once to die [Hebrews 9:27], do make, ordain and publish this my last will and testament in manner following, that is to say-First: I commend my soul to the infinite mercies of God in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father, who died and rose again that He might be the Lord of the dead and of the living . . . professing to believe and hope in the joyful Scripture doctrine of a resurrection to eternal life . . ." ~ Last will and testament
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John Lansing, Jr. (January 30, 1754 Albany, New York - vanished December 12, 1829 New York City)
Qualifications – John Lansing, Jr. was a lawyer serving as a military secretary to General Philip Schuyler before the war. Later he entered politics in his home state of New York and served in Congress under the Articles of Confederation. He was one of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention though he did not sign that document because he left after six weeks. He felt that the convention had gone beyond their instructions. He was an adamant Antifederalist. Leaving national politics he instead served on his states supreme court, as chancellor of New York, and as regent of the University of New York. Of interest is Lansing’s disappearance on the night of December 12 in 1829. He left his hotel to mail a letter and was never seen again. Information later surfaced indicating he was murdered by political rivals but this was never confirmed. It remains a mystery to this day.
State – New York Occupation – Lawyer, statesman Religious Affiliation – Dutch Reformed
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
William Livingston (November 30, 1723 – July 25, 1790)
Qualifications – William Livingston was an early advocate for civil and religious liberty. He applied not only his knowledge of the law but his skill with the pen in their cause. After serving in state offices in his native New York, he moved to New Jersey which sent him as one of their representatives to the First Continental Congress. His services were so valued by his adopted state that they made him their governor in 1776 and reelected him to it every year until his death. In 1787 he was sent again to Philadelphia, this time to the Constitutional Convention.
State – New Jersey Occupation – Lawyer Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“I would most ardently wish to become a member of it [the society in New York] and... I can safely promise them that neither my tongue, nor my pen, nor purse shall be wanting to promote the abolition of what to me appears so inconsistent with humanity and Christianity... May the great and the equal Father of the human race, who has expressly declared His abhorrence of oppression, and that He is no respecter of persons, succeed a design so laudably calculated to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke.” ~ Comment on hearing of an antislavery society in New York
Quotes about Livingston expressing his religious views:
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“Fixed and unshaken in Christian principles, his life presented an example of incorruptible integrity, strict honor, and warm benevolence.” ~ The United States Manual of Biography and History
“Associated with the Calvinists in religion, he opposed the dominant Anglican leaders in the colony and wielded a sharply satirical pen in verses and broadsides.” ~ Signers of the Constitution: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Constitution
James Madison – see under the Presidents
Alexander Martin (1740– 10 November 1807)
Qualifications – Alexander Martin moved from his home state of New Jersey to North Carolina shortly after graduating from Princeton (College of New Jersey) with a master’s degree. He began there working as a merchant before he took up the practice of law. During the war he served as colonel in his state’s militia and fought at the Battle of Germantown with the Continental Army. Returning to North Carolina he served in state offices including governor. He was sent to the Constitutional Convention by the state legislature though he returned home before the end of the convention and so did not have the opportunity to sign the Constitution. He later served in the U.S. Senate and helped to found University of North Carolina. Though a supporter of independence he was known for his tolerance to Loyalists after the war.
State – North Carolina Occupation – Merchant, lawyer, soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Luther Martin (February 9, 1748 – July 8, 1826)
Qualifications – Luther Martin was a lawyer originally from New Jersey though he represented Maryland, his adopted state, at the Constitutional Convention. He had been an early advocate for independence and was known for his prosecution of Loyalists as attorney general. He desired to serve in the army, even joining the dragoons, but was recalled to his state before he could see combat. He was appointed to the Continental Congress, but was unable to serve due to his law practice and public obligations. He was able to travel to Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. There he stood with the small states and fought against several measures including having slaves counted for representation and the absence of a jury in the Supreme Court. Before the end of the convention he and fellow Maryland delegate Hugh Mercer left, so they did not sign it. Martin then became a leading Antifederalist working against ratification but changed his views later and joined the Federalist Party.
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State – Maryland Occupation – Teacher, lawyer, judge, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“It ought to be considered that national crimes can only be and frequently are punished in this world by national punishments; and that the continuance of the slave trade, and thus giving it a national sanction and encouragement, ought to be considered as justly exposing us to the displeasure and vengeance of Him who is equally Lord of all and who views with equal eye the poor African slave and his American master.” ~ The Records of the Federal Convention
”When the sun mildly shines upon us, when the gentle zephyrs play around us, we can easily proceed forward in the straight path of our duty; but when bleak clouds enshroud the sky with darkness, when the tempest rages, the winds howl, and ...the waves break over us -- when the thunders awfully roar over our heads and the lightnings of heaven blaze around us -- it is then that all the energies of the human soul are called into action. It is then that the truly brave man stands firm at his post. It is then that, by an unshaken performance of his duty, man approaches the nearest possible to the Divinity. Nor is there any object in the creation on which the Supreme Being can look down with more delight and approbation than on a human being in such a situation and thus acting. May that God who now looks upon us, who has in his infinite wisdom called you into existence and placed you in that seat to dispense justice to your fellow citizens, to preserve and protect innocence against persecution -- may that God so illuminate your understandings that you may know what is rights; and may he heave your souls with firmness and fortitude to act according to that knowledge.” ~ Luther Martin, from the treason trial of Aaron Burr, 1807
George Mason IV (December 11, 1725 – October 7, 1792)
Qualifications – George Mason was a neighbor of George Washington and like him a planter. Unlike Washington, Mason was not ambitious. He was content to live the life of a country gentleman. However his position in the community along with his education forced him into public life. He was asked to serve in the convention which wrote the Virginia constitution. He also wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights. These were used by James Madison as inspiration for the Bill of Rights thus earning Mason the nickname with Madison of “The Father of the Bill of Rights.” He was called into service again as one of the delegates from Virginia to the Constitutional Convention. There he was a prominent speaker. However he was concerned that the Constitution did not go far enough in protecting individual rights so he refused to sign it, only one of three men to do so. At the Virginia ratifying convention he argued against approving the Constitution. Mason was also an outspoken opponent of slavery, calling it a “slow poison.”
State – Virginia Occupation – Planter Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“My soul I resign into the hands of my Almighty Creator, Whose tender mercies are all over His works. . humbly hoping from His unbounded mercy and benevolence, through the merits of my blessed Savior, a remission of my sins.” ~ Will of George Mason, attested March 20, 1773
“That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed 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.” ~ Virginia Declaration of Rights
“I thank God, I have been able, by adopting Principles of strict Economy and Frugality, to keep my principal, I mean my Country-Estate, unimpaired.” ~ Letter to George Mason, V. (January 8, 1783)
“I most sincerely condole with you for the loss of your dear little girl, but it is our duty to submit with all the resignation human nature is capable of to the dispensation of Divine Providence which bestows upon us our blessings, and consequently has a right to take them away.” ~ Letter to his daughter, Sarah Mason McCarty (February 10, 1785)
James McClurg (1746 – July 9, 1823)
Qualifications – Dr. James McClurg was one of the best educated and most respected physicians in the colonies. He wrote and translated medical works and taught at the College of William and Mary. When Patrick Henry declined attending the Constitutional Convention, McClurg was asked to go in his stead. He was one of three doctors among the Framers. He left at the end of August and so was not present to sign it. President Washington considered nominating McClurg secretary of state after Thomas Jefferson resigned though McClurg’s only other political offices were local, councilman for the city of Richmond in Virginia and three times its mayor.
State – Virginia Occupation – Doctor, teacher Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
James McHenry (November 16, 1753 – May 3, 1816)
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Qualifications – James McHenry is one of our foreign born Founders. He was born in Ireland where he attended school. His parents became concerned about his health and decided to send him to the colonies to stay with a family friend. There he continued his studies under Founder Benjamin Rush and like him became a doctor. During the Revolution he put his skills to use as an army surgeon. He was taken prisoner by the British during which time he noted the poor health of many prisoners. McHenry was paroled and returned to service in the military. After he left the army in 1781, he was elected to the Maryland state legislature which he served in on and off for several years. He was also chosen as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, one of the three doctors to serve there. During President Washington’s second term of office, McHenry was made Secretary of War. In that office he helped to implement the terms of the Jay Treaty, reorganized the military, and promoted the establishment of the Department of the Navy. He continued in office under President John Adams. Fort McHenry in Maryland is named for him.
State – Maryland Occupation – Doctor, statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Public utility pleads most forcibly for the general distribution of the Holy Scriptures. The doctrine they preach, the obligations they impose, the punishment they threaten, the rewards they promise, the stamp and image of divinity they bear, which produces a conviction of their truths, can alone secure to society, order and peace, and to our courts of justice and constitutions of government, purity, stability and usefulness. In vain, without the Bible, we increase penal laws and draw entrenchments around our institutions. Bibles are strong entrenchments. Where they abound, men cannot pursue wicked courses, and at the same time enjoy quiet conscience.” ~ One Hundred and Ten Years of Bible Society Work in Maryland
“It is an estate, whose title is guaranteed by Christ, whose delicious fruits ripen every season, survive the worm, and keep through eternity. It is for the purpose of distributing this divine book more effectually and extensively among the multitudes, whose circumstances render such a donation necessary, that your cooperation is most earnestly requested.” ~ One Hundred and Ten Years of Bible Society Work in Maryland
“The rich do not possess aught more precious than their Bible...the poor cannot be presented by the rich with anything of greater value...It is a book of councils and directions, fitted to every situation in which man can be placed.” ~ One Hundred and Ten Years of Bible Society Work in Maryland
Quotes from McHenry expressing his religious views:
“McHenry returned to his estate near Baltimore and to semiretirement. He remained a loyal Federalist and opposed the War of 1812. He also held the office of president of a Bible society. He died in 1816 at the age of 62,
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survived by two of his three children. His grave is in Baltimore's Westminster Presbyterian Cemetery.” ~ Signers of the Constitution: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Constitution
“Here we come to the end of a life of a courteous, high-minded, keen-spirited, Christian gentleman. He was not a great man, but participated in great events and great men loved him, while all men appreciated his goodness and purity of soul. His highest titles to remembrance are that he was faithful to every duty and that he was the intimate and trusted friend of Lafayette, of Hamilton, and of Washington).” ~ Writing of Mrs. McHenry, The Life and Correspondence of James McHenry
John F. Mercer (May 17, 1759– August 30, 1821)
Qualifications – John Francis Mercer was born and raised in the colony of Virginia which he represented at the Second Continental Congress. During the Revolution he served as an officer in the Continental Army. After the war he moved to Maryland and so it was that state he represented at the Constitutional Convention. Displeased with the direction the convention was taking he left with his friend Luther Martin before the end and so was not there for the signing. He later represented Maryland again in the House of Representatives and as the state’s governor.
State – Virginia, Maryland Occupation – Planter, lawyer, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Thomas Mifflin (January 10, 1744 – January 20, 1800)
Qualifications – Thomas Mifflin was a member of a prominent Quaker family but when the Revolution began he choose to defend his country for which he was read out of the Society of Friends. He also served in political offices in Pennsylvania and at the First and Second Continental Congresses. He was the eleventh president of the latter. He served twice as the chief executive of Pennsylvania. He was selected as one of the many delegates from that state to the Constitutional Convention and was one of the signers of that document.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Merchant, soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Quaker, Lutheran
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Quote from Mifflin expressing his religious views:
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“He had forsaken his Quaker faith to fight in the War for Independence.” ~ Signers of the Constitution: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Constitution
Gouverneur Morris – see under the Articles
Robert Morris – see under the Signers
William Paterson (December 24, 1745 – September 9, 1806)
Qualifications – William Paterson (Patterson) is one of our foreign born Founders. Originally from Ireland he came to the colonies when he was just two years old. After graduating from Princeton he studied law. His skills there were put to use in his adopted state of New Jersey where he served in provincial offices and helped write the state’s constitution after which he became the state’s attorney general and later governor of the state. He represented New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention where he presented the New Jersey in opposition to the Virginia Plan proposed by Edmund Randolph. The Great Compromise reconciled Paterson to the Constitution which he signed. He was a member of the first Senate and a associate justice on the Supreme Court.
State – New Jersey Occupation – Lawyer, judge, statesman Religious Affiliation – Presybterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“[Upon hearing that some Americans seemed to agree with Paine's work he stated:] Infatuated Americans, why renounce your country, your religion, and your God? Oh shame, where is thy blush? [Jerimiah 6:15, 8:12] Is this the way to continue independent, and to render the 4th of July immortal in memory and song?” ~ From a 4th of July Oration in 1798
“Religion and morality were pleasingly inculated and enforced, as being necessary to good government, good order, and good laws, for 'when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.’” ~ Invoking Proverbs 29:2 to instruct a grand jury, United States Oracle, Portsmouth, NH (May 24, 1800)
William Pierce (c. 1753 – December 10, 1789)
Qualifications – Not much is known about this Founder, not the date of his birth or the place of his internment. We do know that he was originally from the colony of Virginia and served as an officer in the Continental Army. After the Revolution he traveled to the Caribbean where he became a merchant before settling in Georgia. He served in the Georgia state legislature followed by the Second Continental and the following year represented the www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 120
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state at the Constitutional Convention. He had to leave the convention in July and so was not able to sign the Constitution.
State – Georgia Occupation – Soldier, merchant Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (February 25, 1746 – August 16, 1825)
Qualifications – Charles Cotesworth Pinckney was a member of a wealthy planter family in South Carolina. He received an excellent education which he put to the service of his country. During the American Revolution he served in as an officer in the Continental Army. In his home state he practiced law, served in the colonial legislature before representing it at the Constitutional Convention. There he was one of the key players though sadly on the proslavery side. Returning to his home state he was influential in promoting ratification. George Washington offered him a choice of cabinet posts which Pinckney declined. Instead Washington made him an ambassador to France and was involved in the XYZ Affair, an attempt by the French officials to extort money from the American government.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Planter, lawyer, soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
"To the eternal and only true God be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen!" ~ Last will and testament, attested October 8, 1807
Charles Pinckney (October 26, 1757 – October 29, 1824)
Qualifications – Charles Pinckney was the cousin of Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. Prior to the Revolution he practiced law, but when the war came South in 1779, he left his practice to join state militia. When Charleston fell Pinckney was taken captive but was released in 1781. After the war he served in the Continental Congress and in his states legislature before attending the Constitutional Convention. Like his cousin he was an influential member of that body, speaking often, signing it, and then working in his home state to see it ratified. Even so there was some controversy surrounding his service there. Pinckney claimed to be the youngest member, he was not, and he submitted the Pinckney Plan which was basically a more detailed rewrite of the Virginia Plan. His fellow delegates ignore it. Still historians accord him as one of the more important members of the convention for his work on the fugitive slave clause and the ban on religious tests for office holders. Following the convention he www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 121
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went on to hold many important state offices including the governorship. He was also elected to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and President Thomas Jefferson made him Minister to Spain.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Planter, lawyer, soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Son, I hope you will have the blessings of Almighty God.” ~ Last will and testament
“When the general convention met, no citizen of the United States could expect less from it than I did, so many jarring interests and prejudices to reconcile! The variety of pressing dangers at our doors, even during the war, were barely sufficient to force us to act in concert and necessarily give way at times to each other. But when the great work was done and published, I was not only most agreeably disappointed, but struck with amazement. Nothing less than that superintending hand of Providence that so miraculously carried us through the war… could have brought it about so complete, upon the whole.” ~ Letter published in "The State Gazette of South Carolina" under the pseudonym A Steady and Open Republican (May 5, 1788)
Edmund J. Randolph (August 10, 1753 – September 12, 1813)
Qualifications – Edmund J. Randolph was a member of one of the First Families of Virginia and therefore an influential person from the most influential of colonies. When the war began it split the family. Randolph’s father was a Loyalist and sailed for England. Randolph himself joined the Continental Army as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington. Upon returning to Virginia, Randolph was elected to the convention to write the constitution for his state as well as serving as the mayor of Williamsburg and governor of the state. He was sent to the Second Continental Congress. While serving as governor he was be asked to be a delegate at the Constitutional Convention. There, as the highest ranking member of the Virginia delegation, he presented the Virginia Plan which was based on the research done by James Madison. He was also a member of the Committee of Detail which had the responsibility of putting the ideas discussed at the convention into a written draft. In the end he refused to sign the Constitution for he said it did not have enough checks on federal power. He changed him mind by the time Virginia held its ratifying convention and voted in favor of the Constitution. President George Washington appointed Randolph as the nation’s first attorney general. When his cousin Thomas Jefferson resigned as Secretary of State, Randolph stepped into the job. When he stepped down from public service he returned to the practice of law. His most famous case was as the defense in Aaron Burr’s treason trial.
State – Virginia Occupation – Lawyer, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
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Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“That a sermon be preached at the request of the convention on the 4th of July, the anniversary of Independence; & thenceforward prayers be used in ye Convention every morning.” ~ Motion made following Benjamin Franklin's motion for daily prayer at the Constitutional Convention (June 28, 1787)
George Read – see under the Signers
John Rutledge (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800)
Qualifications – John Rutledge was the elder brother of Edward Rutledge, one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. An advocate for the rights of the colonists, Rutledge represented his home state at the First and Second Continental Congresses. He was also a delegate to the Constitutional Convention where he served on the Committee of Detail, which was tasked with creating a draft of the document, along with four other committees. Perhaps one of his most important contributions there was arguing against the Supreme Court having the ability to give advisory opinions. Himself a judge, he believed that the courts should only resolve legal issues. Their opinions mattered only when ruling on a case. After ratification, Rutledge was nominated by President George Washington to be a justice on the first Supreme Court. Later he became the second Chief Justice. In his home state of South Carolina he served as governor.
State – South Carolina Occupation – Lawyer, judge, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Roger Sherman – see under the Signers
Richard Dobbs Spaight, Sr. (March 25, 1758 – September 6, 1802)
Qualifications – Richard Dobbs Spaight served as a general’s aide during the American Revolution. After leaving the army in 1781 he served in national and state offices including the Second Continental Congress , the North Carolina legislature, and as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. At just 29 years old he was one of the youngest men to sign the Constitution. He was also the first governor of the state to be born in North Carolina. He was also a member of the House of Representatives and sat on the board of University of North Carolina. He died as a result of injuries sustained in a duel. www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 123
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State – North Carolina Occupation – Soldier, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“As to the subject of religion, I thought what had been said would fully satisfy that gentleman and every other. No power is given to the general government to interfere with it at all. Any act of Congress on this subject would be a usurpation.” ~ "The debates in the several state conventions on the adoption of ..., Volume 4"
“No sect is preferred to another. Every man has a right to worship the Supreme Being in the manner he thinks proper. No test is required. All men of equal capacity and integrity, are equally eligible to offices. Temporal violence might make mankind wicked, but never religious. A test would enable the prevailing sect to persecute the rest. I do not suppose an infidel, or any such person, will ever be chosen to any office, unless the people themselves be of the same opinion. He says that Congress may establish ecclesiastical courts. I do not know what part of the Constitution warrants that assertion. It is impossible. No such power is given them.” ~ Debate in North Carolina Ratifying Convention, 30 July 1788
Caleb Strong (January 9, 1745 - November 7, 1819)
Qualifications – Caleb Strong was a brilliant scholar, but a case of small pox damaged his sight and nearly kept him from studying law. He was already active in local and state politics when the Revolution began. He could not serve in the military due to his poor vision, but he supported the Patriot cause in whatever way he could. He was asked to serve at the Second Continental Congress but declined. Instead he held state offices including helping to write the state’s constitution, holding a position of the governor’s council and in the state senate. He was also offered a seat of the state’s supreme court, but this he also turned down. His work in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Nathaniel Jennison proved that slavery was incompatible with the state’s constitution, thus ending slavery in the state. He finally accepted national office by representing Massachusetts at the Constitutional Convention. There he argued against the Electoral College and for all tax legislation to originate in the House of Representatives. He was forced to return home due to his wife’s illness so was not present at the signing. He again took national office as one of the two Senators in the first Congress. He returned to state office as governor of Massachusetts.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Lawyer Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
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“He called on the State of Massachusetts to pray that . . . all nations may know and be obedient to that grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ.” ~ Proclamation for a Day of Fasting, Prayer and Humiliation, February 13, 1813
Quotes about Strong expressing his religious views:
“Caleb Strong became a professing Christian in 1772, and was during the remainder of his life not only an efficient member of the church but also a member of almost all the literary, benevolent, and religious societies in the Commonwealth. Upon the establishment of the Hampshire Missionary Society, he was chosen its president and held that office ten years, while for two years he was president of the Hampshire Bible Society. He was also one of the founders of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Historical Society of Massachusetts. In his religious views he was a mild Calvinist. The moderation and broad charity which were a part of the man, showed themselves in the tolerance, for that day unusual, with which he regarded those who did not accept his own religious belief. In the last years of his life he spent much time in the study of the scriptures.” ~ History of Northampton, Volume 2, p. 601
George Washington – see under the Presidents
Hugh Williamson (December 5, 1735–May 22, 1819)
Qualifications – High Williamson was a famous scholar of his day. His studies included divinity, in which he excelled and was granted a license to preach but was never ordained. He also became a professor of mathematics. He then pursued an education in medicine, studying in Europe and beginning a practice in Philadelphia. He also studied astronomy and took part in some celestial observations of Venus. He was in Europe again when he heard about the Declaration of Independence upon which news he returned to America. He applied his medical training as an army surgeon during the war in addition to a private practice. From there he was elected to state offices in North Carolina and then to the Second Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. There he proposed the 3/5ths compromise to resolve the issue of counting slaves for the purpose of representation in the House. He also authored “The Letters of Sylvius,” a series of papers in defense of the proposed federal system. He also helped to write his own state’s constitution as a delegate to Fayetteville Convention. Under the Constitution he was elected to Congress. He was also a trustee of the University of North Carolina. His later years were spent in New York in scholarly pursuits. He died in 1819 as a result of a stabbing.
State – North Carolina Occupation – Scholar, physician, scientist, statesman Religious Affiliation – Presbyterian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
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James Wilson – see under the Signers
George Wythe – see under the Signers
Robert Yates (1738-1801)
Qualifications – Robert Yates began his career as a surveyor and occupation he kept up even after taking up law. He is responsible for creating several important maps. From law he moved into politics first at the local level as an alderman, and then onto state offices including the state supreme court. He was a prominent Patriot in Albany, New York. After the war he was chosen to represent the state at the Constitutional Convention. Like the rest of the New York delegation, with the exception of Alexander Hamilton, he left the convention early and did not sign. He continued to argue against the Constitution at New York’s ratifying convention. There he was one of the most outspoken members on the issue of individual liberties. He was one of the authors of the Antifederalist writing as “Brutus” and “Sydney.” But when the convention ratified the Constitution, Yates patriotically gave it his support. He was later appointed Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court. Yates was a modest man whose public service did not bring him wealth, but the respect of his community.
State – New York Occupation – Surveyor, lawyer, judge, statesman Religious Affiliation – Dutch Reformed
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
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The Other Founders
Not every Founder signed or helped to author a significant document. Some rendered service in others ways. Some of these men, and women, lifted up their pen in support of American independence. Others wielded the sword. A few others put their purse at the service of the young nation. Their efforts are no less noble or valuable than those who placed their signature on paper. Some may disagree with the list, thinking there are some who do not belong and others who should have been included. Even so, let us include them in our examination of the faith of our Founding Fathers and Mothers.
Abigail Smith Adams (November 11, 1744 – October 28, 1818)
Qualifications – Abigail Smith Adams was not a member of Congress. She did not participate in a convention. She did not sign any historic documents. She was the wife of our second president John Adams, and mother of our sixth president John Quincy Adams. She was an intelligent, educated woman. During the Revolution she carried on a correspondence with her husband that gives us insight into the events of that era. She also advised him and represented him. She was the first wife of a president to take an active role and to have an interest in politics. To her detractors she was derided as “Mrs. President.” To her fans she is considered the first feminist and the greatest First Lady. But to John Adams she was just “My Dearest Friend.”
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Wife, mother, farmer Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan), Unitarian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“A patriot without religion in my estimation is as great a paradox as an honest Man without the fear of God. Is it possible that he whom no moral obligations bind, can have any real Good Will towards Men? Can he be a patriot who, by an openly vicious conduct, is undermining the very bonds of Society?” ~ Letter to Mercy Warren (November 5, 1775)
“I acknowledge myself a Unitarian—Believing that the Father alone, is the supreme God, and that Jesus Christ derived his Being, and all his powers and honors from the Father ... There is not any reasoning which can convince me, contrary to my senses, that three is one, and one three.” ~ Letter to John Quincy Adams (May 5, 1816)
“When will Mankind be convinced that true Religion is from the Heart, between Man and his creator, and not the imposition of Man or creeds and tests?” ~ Letter to Louisa Adams (January 3, 1818)
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Ethan Allen (January 21, 1738 [O.S. January 10, 1737] – February 12, 1789)
Qualifications – Ethan Allen was born in Connecticut but moved to New Hampshire in that part of the state which was in dispute with New York. To defend the claims of the people of New Hampshire, the Green Mountain Boys were formed and Allen became their leader. Until 1775 Allen spent his time running off settlers from New York and escaping the arrest warrant issued by the governor of that state. But with the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys turned their attention to the British. The Connecticut militia requested their help in the capture of the fort at Ticonderoga. Despite squabbling between Allen and Benedict Arnold, the fort was taken on May 10, 1775, a nice early victory for the Americans. The cannons from the fort were eventually moved to Boston to drive out the British.
State – Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont Occupation – Soldier Religious Affiliation – Deist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“In the name of the great Jehovah, and the Continental Congress!” ~ Allen’s words to the commander of Fort Ticonderoga
“Who would imagine that the Deity conducts his providence similar to the detestable despots of this world? Oh horrible? most horrible impeachment of Divine Goodness! Rather let us exaltedly suppose that God eternally had the ultimate best good of beings generally and individually in his view, with the reward of the virtuous and the punishment of the vicious, and that no other punishment will ever be inflicted, merely by the divine administration, but that will finally terminate in the best good of the punished, and thereby subserve the great and important ends of the divine government, and be productive of the restoration and felicity of all finite rational nature.” ~ Ch. III Section II - The Moral Government of God as Incompatible With Eternal Punishment
“I have generally been denominated a Deist, the reality of which I never disputed, being conscious I am no Christian, except mere infant baptism make me one; and as to being a Deist, I know not, strictly speaking, whether I am one or not, for I have never read their writings; mine will therefore determine the matter; for I have not in the least disguised my sentiments, but have written freely without any conscious knowledge of prejudice for, or against any man, sectary or party whatever; but wish that good sense, truth and virtue may be promoted and flourish in the world, to the detection of delusion, superstition, and false religion; and therefore my errors in the succeeding treatise, which may be rationally pointed out, will be readily rescinded.” ~ Preface, Reason: The Only Oracle Of Man (1784)
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Richard Allen (February 14, 1760 – March 26, 1831)
Qualifications – Richard Allen was born into slavery in Germantown, Pennsylvania. His father was black and his mother was mixed race. As a child his entire family was sold to Stokeley Sturgis of Dover, Delaware. Allen taught himself to read and write. He also obtained permission from his master to attend services at the Methodist Church. Allen became a Christian at a young age but did not join the church until he was older. He was also not content to just hear sermons but wanted to preach them. He began with his own master, and then asked a minister to visit Sturgis to talk to him about God. When Sturgis accepted Christ he came to believe that owning slaves was wrong. He offered the Allen family the chance to buy their freedom. This Richard Allen did in 1780.
After gaining his freedom, Allen set about preaching. This he did first as a “licensed exhorter.” He became an assistant pastor in 1784, preaching to mixed congregations before getting his own church in 1786. He was not content to just minister in the walls of the church but to his message out into the community. Eventually with his friend Absalom Jones, Allen founded the Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. He and Jones also founded a society to help former slaves, the Free African Society. On his own Allen founded African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). After Haiti achieved independence and the movement began in America to send former slaves there or to Africa, Allen stood against it saying, “This land, which we have watered with our tears and our blood, is now our mother country, and we are well satisfied to stay where wisdom abounds and the gospel is free.” During the great yellow fever epidemic of 1793, Allen and Jones assisted Founder Benjamin Rush in treating the sick and burying the dead. Allen also ran a stop along the Underground Railroad.
State – Pennsylvania, Delaware Occupation – Slave, minister Religious Affiliation – Methodist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“If you love your children, if you love your country, if you love the God of love, clear your hands from slaves, burden not your children or country with them.”
“The Lord was pleased to strengthen us, and remove all fear from us, and disposed our hearts to be as useful as possible.”
“I informed them that I could not be anything else but a Methodist, as I was born and awakened under them.”
“This land, which we have watered with our tears and our blood, is now our mother country, and we are well satisfied to stay where wisdom abounds and the gospel is free.”
Quotes about Allen expressing his religious views:
"[one of] the greatest divines who has lived since the apostolic age." ~ abolitionist David Walker
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Fisher Ames (April 19, 1758 – July 4, 1808)
Qualifications – Fisher Ames is another forgotten man among the Founders though he was one of the more influential and eloquent of his day. His political career began during the Revolution as he served in various state offices. Ames served at the convention to ratification of the Constitution and after which was elected to the first House of Representatives and served through the first four. There he gave one of the first great speeches heard in its halls, was a staunch Federalist, and was highly suspicious of pure democracy which he likened to mob rule. One of his greatest accomplishments was his contribution to the final wording of the First Amendment. During his service in the House Ames was chosen a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In that capacity he gave one of the orations on the death of George Washington. He was also chosen as president of his alma mater, Harvard University. He declined due to his health. He died on July 4, 1808.
State – Massachusetts Occupation – Teacher, lawyer Religious Affiliation –
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“We have a dangerous trend beginning to take place in our education. We're starting to put more and more textbooks into our schools. We've become accustomed of late of putting little books into the hands of children, containing fables and moral lessons. We're spending less time in the classroom on the Bible, which should be the principal text in our schools. The Bible states these great moral lessons better than any other man-made book.” ~ Paladian Magazine (September 20, 1789)
“Should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book? Its morals are pure, its examples, captivating and noble. In no book is there so good English, so pure and so elegant; and by teaching all the same book, they will speak alike, and the Bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith.” ~ Essay titled School Books published in the Palladium (January, 1801)
"Our liberty depends on our education, our laws, and habits . . . it is founded on morals and religion, whose authority reigns in the heart…" ~ An Oration on the Sublime Virtues of General George Washington
Richard Bland (May 6, 1710 – October 26, 1776)
Qualifications – Known as Richard Bland II, this Founder was born into one of the first families of Virginia. Educated in the law, but never taking up the practice, Bland’s wealth put him in a position where public service was expect of him, and to public service he devoted his life. Bland spent 34 years in the Virginia House of Burgesses where he stood for the rights of the colonists. He wrote many pamphlets in that cause, though sadly most have been lost. He was an early advocate for religious freedom and proposed legal rights for slaves. In 1774 he represented his home state at the First Continental Congress. Unable due to his health to ever serve in www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 131
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Philadelphia again, it is believed that the Lee Resolution on Independence, which was presented to the Second Continental Congress by Richard Henry Lee, was actually authored by Bland. Remaining in Virginia he helped to write the state’s constitution.
State –Virginia Occupation – Planter, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
Elias Boudinot (May 2, 1740 – October 24, 1821)
Qualifications –
State – New Jersey Occupation – Religious Affiliation –
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
On Thursday, September 24, 1789, the first House of Representatives voted to recommend the First Amendment of the newly drafted Constitution to the states for ratification. The next day, Congressman Elias Boudinot from New Jersey proposed that the House and Senate jointly request of President Washington to proclaim a day of thanksgiving for “the many signal favors of Almighty God.” Boudinot said that he “could not think of letting the session pass over without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining, with one voice, in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings he had poured down upon them.” Quote from-The Annals of the Congress, The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States, Compiled From Authentic Materials by Joseph Gales, Senior (Washington, DC: Gales and Seaton, 1834), 1:949–950.
Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 - June 6, 1799)
Qualifications – Patrick Henry has been called the Samuel Adams of the South. Conversely, Samuel Adams has been called the Patrick Henry of the north. A member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, Henry was an early advocate for American independence. His speech at St. James Church in Richmond is one of the most famous in American history. In Virginia he led the opposition to the Stamp Act. He also represented Virginia as the First Continental Congress. During the Revolution he served in the state militia with the rank of colonel. Though he did not stay in the military long, he did lead his men against the forces of the royal governor to defend the powder magazine located at Williamsburg, Virginia. He then served as a delegate at the convention to write Virginia’s constitution and then as its first governor. He was asked to represent Virginia again, this time at the Constitutional Convention, but as a strong advocate for state’s rights he declined to serve. He did attend the state ratifying www.thefederalistpapers.org Page 132
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convention where he argued for a bill of rights. He was also one of our first members of the Electoral College. George Washington asked Henry to be his secretary of state, but Henry also declined this honor and the later offer to be made ambassador to France. Henry was an adamant Antifederalist until he saw the effects of the French Revolution. At that time he changed his opinion and ran for office in Virginia as a Federalist. He was elected but died before he could take office.
State – Virginia Occupation – Planter, lawyer, statesman Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Amongst other strange things said of me, I hear it is said by the deists that I am one of the number; and indeed, that some good people think I am no Christian. This thought gives me much more pain than the appellation of Tory; because I think religion of infinitely higher importance than politics; and I find much cause to reproach myself that I have lived so long, and have given no decided and public proofs of my being a Christian. But, indeed, my dear child, this is a character which I prize far above all this world has, or can boast.” ~ Letter to his daughter. Elizabeth "Betsy" Aylett (August 20, 1796)
“This is all the inheritance I can give my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.” ~ Last Will and Testament (November 20, 1798)
“Whether this [independence] will prove a blessing or a curse, will depend upon the use our people make of the blessings which a gracious God hath bestowed on us. If they are wise, they will be great and happy. If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable. Righteousness alone can exalt them as a nation. Reader! whoever thou art, remember this; and in thy sphere practise virtue thyself, and encourage it in others.” ~ Final thoughts about the Stamp Act
Quotes about Henry expressing his religious views:
“One of his neighbors going to see him found him reading the Bible. Holding it up in his hand, he said: ‘This book is worth all the books that ever were printed, and it has been my misfortune that I have never found time to read it with the proper attention and feeling till lately. I trust in the mercy of Heaven that it is not yet too late.’” ~ George Dabney, Letter to Mr. Wirt
James Iredell (October 5, 1751 – October 20, 1799)
Qualifications – James Iredell is one of the foreign born Founders. Originally from Bristol, England, he emigrated to North Carolina where he worked in the customs office before studying law. Prior to the Revolution Iredell demonstrated a support for the ideas of independence and liberty. He wrote To the Inhabitants of Great Britain in
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1774 arguing against Parliament's power over the colonies. He also wrote Principles of an American Whig. It predates the Declaration of Independence, but expresses the same ideas. With the start of the war he was set to work organizing his state’s courts. He served in North Carolina’s ratifying convention where he was a strong supporter for the Constitution. George Washington selected Iredell as one of the original justices of the Supreme Court.
State – North Carolina Occupation – Public servant, lawyer, justice Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“But it is objected that the people of America may perhaps choose representatives who have no religion at all, and that pagans and Mahometans may be admitted into offices.... But it is never to be supposed that the people of America will trust their dearest rights to persons who have no religion at all, or a religion materially different from their own.” ~ The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution
“For my part, I am free and ready enough to declare that I think the Christian religion is a Divine institution; and I pray to God that I may never forget the precepts of His religion or suffer the appearance of an inconsistency in my principles and practice.” ~ 1768 essay on religion
John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829)
Qualifications – John Jay’s entrance into public life began in 1774 when he was made secretary of the New York Committee of Correspondence. Jay disliked the violations of the colonists’ rights by the British, but was more moderate than some of his fellow Patriots. He wanted to find a peaceful resolution. Eventually the only answer he saw was independence. Jay continued to serve in state offices until he was sent to the Second Continental Congress where he was elected its 6th president. Following his service in congress, Jay was made ambassador first to Spain and then to France. There Jay assisted Benjamin Franklin in negotiating the Treaty of Paris which he signed. After returning to America, Jay continued to serve in the national government, which led him to join James Madison and Alexander Hamilton in their efforts to secure a better constitution. Jay was unable to serve at the Constitutional Convention, but did author five of the Federalist Papers. With the Constitution ratified, Washington made Jay the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. After his service on the court, Jay continued to serve in state offices, including as the second governor of New York, and as a diplomat. Jay was also active in the abolition movement eventually succeeding in outlawing slavery in his home state which had the largest slave population outside of the South.
State – New York Occupation – Farmer, lawyer, justice, diplomat
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Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.” ~ Letter to Peter Augustus Jay (April 8, 1784)
“This country and this people seem to have been made for each other, and it appears as if it was the design of Providence that an inheritance so proper and convenient for a ban of brethren, united to each other by the strongest of ties, should never be split into a number of unsocial, jealous, and alien sovereignties.” ~ Federalist No. 2 (1787)
“I have long been of opinion that the evidence of the truth of Christianity requires only to be carefully examined to produce conviction in candid minds... they who undertake that task will derive advantages.” ~ Letter to the Rev. Uzal Ogden (February 14, 1796)
“While in France . . . I do not recollect to have had more than two conversations with atheists about their tenents. The first was this: I was at a large party, of which were several of that description. They spoke freely and contemptuously of religion. I took no part in the conversation. In the course of it, one of them asked me if I believed in Christ? I answered that I did, and that I thanked God that I did.” ~ Letter to John Bristed (April 23, 1811)
“Whether our religion permits Christians to vote for infidel rulers is a question which merits more consideration than it seems yet to have generally received either from the clergy or the laity. It appears to me that what the prophet said to Jehoshaphat about his attachment to Ahab [‘Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?’ 2 Chronicles 19:2] affords a salutary lesson.” ~ Letter to Revered Dr. Morse (January 1, 1813)
“As to the position that 'the people always mean well,' that they always mean to say and do what they believe to be right and just - it may be popular, but it can not be true. The word people applies to all the individual inhabitants of a country. . . . That portion of them who individually mean well never was, nor until the millennium will be, considerable. Pure democracy, like pure rum, easily produces intoxication and with it a thousand pranks and fooleries. I do not expect mankind will, before the millennium, be what they ought to be and therefore, in my opinion, every political theory which does not regard them as being what they are, will prove abortive. Yet I wish to see all unjust and unnecessary discriminations everywhere abolished, and that the time may come when all our inhabitants of every color and discrimination shall be free and equal partakers of our political liberties.” ~ Letter to Judge Peters (March 14, 1815)
“Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” ~ Letter to John Murray Jr. (October 12, 1816)
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“Mercy and grace and favor did come by Jesus Christ, and also that truth which verified the promises and predictions concerning Him and which exposed and corrected the various errors which had been imbibed respecting the Supreme Being, His attributes, laws, and dispensations.” ~ Letter to John Murray (April 15, 1818)
“No human society has ever been able to maintain both order and freedom, both cohesiveness and liberty apart from the moral precepts of the Christian religion… Should our republic ever forget this fundamental precept of governance this great experiment will then be surely doomed.” ~ Address to the American Bible Society (May 9, 1822)
“By conveying the Bible to people . . . we certainly do them a most interesting act of kindness. We thereby enable them to learn that man was originally created and placed in a state of happiness, but, becoming disobedient, was subjected to the degradation and evils which he and his posterity have since experienced. The Bible will also inform them that our gracious Creator has provided for us a Redeemer in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed – that this Redeemer has made atonement ‘for the sins of the whole world,’ and thereby reconciling the Divine justice with the Divine mercy, has opened a way for our redemption and salvation; and that these inestimable benefits are of the free gift and grace of God, not of our deserving, nor in our power to deserve. The Bible will also [encourage] them with many explicit and consoling assurances of the Divine mercy to our fallen race, and with repeated invitations to accept the offers of pardon and reconciliation. . . . They, therefore, who enlist in His service, have the highest encouragement to fulfill the duties assigned to their respective stations; for most certain it is, that those of His followers who [participate in] His conquests will also participate in the transcendent glories and blessings of His Triumph.” ~ From his “Address at the Annual Meeting of the American Bible Society” (May 13, 1824)
“I recommend a general and public return of praise and thanksgiving to Him from whose goodness these blessings descend. The most effectual means of securing the continuance of our civil and religious liberties is always to remember with reverence and gratitude the source from which they flow.” ~ Letter to the Committee of the Corporation of the City of New York (June 29, 1826)
“Condescend, merciful Father! to grant as far as proper these imperfect petitions, to accept these inadequate thanksgivings, and to pardon whatever of sin hath mingled in them for the sake of Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Savior; unto Whom, with Thee, and the blessed Spirit, ever one God, be rendered all honor and glory, now and forever.” ~ From a prayer found among Mr. Jay’s papers and in his handwriting
“Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I render sincere and humble thanks for His manifold and unmerited blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by His beloved Son. . . . Blessed be His holy name.” ~ The Last Will & Testament of John Jay
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John Marshall (September 24, 1755 – July 6, 1835)
Qualifications – John Marshall was related to two of the most influential families in Virginia, the Randolphs and the Harrisons. Brought up on the frontiers of the colony, Marshall was educated under the supervision of his father with the intention of him becoming a lawyer. Before his studies could be completed the Revolutionary War began and in 1776 Marshall joined the Continental Army. He was there at Valley Forge and saw action in several major battles. In 1780 he left the army and completed his legal studies. Two years later he entered politics. He served in state offices including the convention to ratify the Constitution. His political and legal successes convinced President George Washington to offer Marshall the position of attorney general of the United States. Marshall turned that down and the subsequent offer of ambassador to France. President John Adams seemed to have more luck in convincing Marshall to enter the diplomatic life. In 1797 Marshall became a member of a commission which was sent to France. It was this group which became involved in the XYZ Affair. Marshall’s conduct in France brought him greater respect at the national level. He was offered a position on the Supreme Court which he declined. Instead he ran for and won a seat in the House of Representatives. Before his term in office was over, Marshall was made Secretary of State. In this office he did not stay long either becoming a Supreme Court Justice during John Adams’ Midnight Appointments. But for one month Marshall held both positions meaning he serve simultaneously in two branches of the government. Marshall was the longest serving on the justices holding office for 35 years. As Chief Justice he oversaw changes to the court, and presided over several significant cases in our history including Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Cohens v. Virginia and Gibbons v. Ogden. Marshall also wrote an important biography of George Washington and was the first president of the American Colonization Society in Richmond, Virginia.
State – Virginia Occupation – Lawyer, justice Religious Affiliation – Episcopalian
Quotes from him expressing his religious views are not available.
James Otis, Jr. (February 5, 1725 – May 23, 1783)
Qualifications – Before there was John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock there was James Otis Jr. Otis was possibly our first Founding Father. He first stood up to the British over the Writs of Assistance, papers allowing British agents to search businesses and private homes without cause or provocation. Hearing him speak John Adams said, “the child independence was then and there born,[for] every man of an immense crowded audience appeared to me to go away as I did, ready to take arms against writs of assistance.” In the Stamp Act Congress Otis coined what would become the most famous phrase of the Revolution, “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” Today we say it as “No taxation without representation.” His brilliance was cut short when Otis began suffering from mental illness. He still took cases as a lawyer and was respected among the Patriots of Boston. He died in 1783 from a strike of lightning. He was the brother of Patriot Mercy Otis Warren.
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Occupation – Lawyer, statesman Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“I pray God I may never be brought to the melancholy trial; but, if ever I should, it will then be known how far I can reduce to practice principles which I know to be founded in truth.” ~ Against Writs of Assistance (February 24, 1761)
“Every British Subject born on the continent of America, or in any other of the British dominions, is by the law of God and nature, by the common law, and by act of parliament, (exclusive of all charters from the crown) entitled to all the natural, essential, inherent and inseparable rights of our fellow subjects in Great Britain.” ~ The Rights of British Colonies Asserted (1763)
“There can be no prescription old enough to supersede the Law of Nature and the grant of God Almighty, who has given to all men a natural right to be free, and they have it ordinarily in their power to make themselves so, if they please.” ~ The Rights of British Colonies Asserted and Proved (17643)
“Government is founded immediately on the necessities of human nature, and ultimately on the will of God, the author of nature; who has not left it to men in general to choose, whether they will be members of society or not, but at the hazard of their senses if not of their lives.” ~ The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved (1764)
“Has [government] any solid foundation? Any chief cornerstone?... I think it has an everlasting foundation in the unchangeable will of God… The sum of my argument is that civil government is of God.”
“My dear sister, I hope, when God Almighty in his righteous providence shall take me out of time into eternity, that it will be by a flash of lightning.” ~ Spoken to Mercy Otis Warren
Thomas Paine February 9, 1737 [O.S. January 29, 1736] – June 8, 1809)
Qualifications – Thomas Paine, like several other Founders, was not born in the United States. However, unlike them, he did not set down roots in this country. He was given land in New York and bought a house in New Jersey, but made neither his home. Paine was trained as a corset maker, an occupation he returned to many times during his life between his other endeavors. This work did not suit Paine so he tried various occupations. As a teenager he served on a privateer, a kind of licensed pirate ship. He also worked for a time as an excise officer. He also tried his hand as a minister and as a school teacher. During another stint as an excise officer, Paine found his true vocation, writing. He wrote a pamphlet, The Case of the Officers of Excise. After being fired from his job again, Paine met Benjamin Franklin who persuaded him to move to the colonies. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he found work as
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an editor for the Pennsylvania Magazine. When the Revolution began Paine joined the Continental Army. It was during his military service that Paine made his greatest contribution to the Patriot Cause. He authored two pamphlets, Common Sense and The Crisis. After the Bible, Common Sense was the most published work in the colonies. It served to convince the people that separation from England was right and possible. General George Washington was so impressed with The Crisis that he had it read aloud to his troops. Leaving the army, Paine served as a secretary to Congress, traveled to France and the Netherlands with John Laurens to help negotiate a loan. By 1781, Paine had departed the United States and returned to England. When the French Revolution began, he moved to France though he did return at times to England. He continued his writing and his work as an antimonarchist, though he did make an attempt to save the life of King Louis XVI. In 1793 he was arrested and imprisoned by the French government. James Monroe, the ambassador to France, eventually secured Paine’s release. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson invited Paine to return to America. But Paine had burned many of his bridges and had few friends in the country. He died in 1809 in New York City. His funeral was attended by only six mourners.
State – None Occupation – Corset maker, privateer, public servant, writer, editor Religious Affiliation – Deist
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“But where says some is the King of America? I'll tell you Friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain...let it be brought forth placed on the divine law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America THE LAW IS KING.” ~ Common Sense
“The reformation was preceded by the discovery of America, as if the Almighty graciously meant to open a sanctuary to the persecuted in future years, when home should afford neither friendship nor safety.” ~ Common Sense
“I have as little superstition in me as any man living, but my secret opinion has ever been, and still is, that God Almighty will not give up a people to military destruction, or leave them unsupportedly to perish, who have so earnestly and so repeatedly sought to avoid the calamities of war, by every decent method which wisdom could invent” ~ The Crisis
“These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.”
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~ The Crisis
“Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER," and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God” ~ The Crisis
“It is from the error of the schools in having taught those subjects as accomplishments only and thereby separated the study of them from the Being who is the Author of them... The evil that has resulted from the error of the schools in teaching natural philosophy as an accomplishment only has been that of generating in the pupils a species of atheism. Instead of looking through the works of creation to the Creator Himself, they stop short and employ the knowledge they acquire to create doubts of His existence.” ~ Discourse at the Society of Theophilanthropists in Paris (1787)
“Every religion is good that teaches man to be good; and I know of none that instructs him to be bad.” ~ Rights of Man (1792)
“The religion that approaches the nearest of all others to true deism, in the moral and benign part thereof, is that professed by the Quakers . . . though I revere their philanthropy, I cannot help smiling at [their] conceit; . . . if the taste of a Quaker [had] been consulted at the Creation, what a silent and drab-colored Creation it would have been! Not a flower would have blossomed its gaieties, nor a bird been permitted to sing.” ~ Age of Reason (1794)
“The quotations I then made were from memory only, but they are correct; and the opinions I have advanced in that work are the effect of the most clear and long-established conviction; that the Bible and the Testament are impositions upon the world; that the fall of man; the account of Jesus Christ being the Son of God, and of his dying to appease the wrath of God, and of salvation by that strange means, are all fabulous inventions, dishonorable to the wisdom and power of the Almighty; that the only true religion is Deism, by which I then meant, and now mean, the belief of one God, and an imitation of his moral character, or the practice of what are called moral virtues— and that it was upon this only (so far as religion is concerned) that I rested all my hopes of happiness hereafter. So say I now—and so help me God.” ~ Age of Reason (1794)
“I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church. All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” ~ Age of Reason (1794)
“I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life.” ~ Age of Reason (1794)
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“How different is [Christianity] to the pure and simple profession of Deism! The true Deist has but one Deity, and his religion consists in contemplating the power, wisdom, and benignity of the Deity in his works, and in endeavoring to imitate him in everything moral, scientifical, and mechanical.” ~ An Essay on the Origin of Freemasonry
Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824)
Qualifications – Charles Thomson is one of those forgotten Founders, yet he was very important in our early years. Born in Ireland, raised in Delaware, he settled in Philadelphia as a teacher of Latin. His first entry into politics was in that colony’s struggles between the proprietors of Pennsylvania and those who opposed them. With Benjamin Franklin, Thomson fell into the latter group. When the troubles with Britain grew, Thomson sided with the Patriots and became one of their leaders in his colony. John Adams called Thomson the “Samuel Adams of Philadelphia.” When the Second Continental Congress met in 1775, they chose Thomson as their secretary, a post he would hold continuously until the ratification of the Constitution. This was an important position for not only did Thomson take notes on the proceedings, but he functioned as the central government in the absence of congress. On July 4, 1776, after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, two men stepped forward to sign it. One was the president of congress, John Hancock. The other was its secretary. During his time as secretary, Thomson also designed the Great Seal of the United States. After retiring from public life, Thomson devoted himself to translating the Septuagint (Greek translation) Bible into English. A great lover of books, he was also the author of many.
State – Pennsylvania Occupation – Teacher, statesman, scholar Religious Affiliation – Christian, unknown denomination
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“Annuit Coeptis” ~ Part of the Great Seal of the United States, it translates as “Providence favors our undertakings” or “Providence has favored our undertakings.” It can also be translated “He favors our undertakings” or “He has prospered our endeavors.”
“I am a Christian. I believe only in the Scriptures, and in Jesus Christ my Savior.”
Quotes about Thomson expressing his religious views:
“Nov. 27, 1815. Special Meeting of the Trustees. The President (John Curwen, Esq.) presented a certificate of ten shares of Schuylkill Permanent Bridge stock which he had received from Charles Thomson, Esq., as a donation to the Baptist Church of Lower Merion. It was unanimously resolved that the President be directed to convey to Charles Thomson, Esq., their sincere thanks for his liberal donation, in addition to the many acts of kindness the
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Church has on former occasions received at his hands, and to express to him their sincere wishes for a long continuation of his health and valuable labors for the cause of Christianity.” ~ Lower Merion Baptist Church, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, regarding a donation by Thomson to the construction of their church
“to promote the erection of some lasting monument near the spot whence his spirit departed to the memory of Charles Thomson, the Christian patriot, scholar, gentleman and sage.” ~ George F. Curwen regarding a memorial to Thompson. This monument was finally erected in 1931
Noah Webster (October 16, 1758 – May 28, 1843)
Qualifications – Noah Webster began his service to his country when he was just a teenager. During his time at Yale College he served in the Connecticut militia. After graduating he became a teacher and studied law. He passed the bar but did not like the practice of law. Returning to teaching he founded several schools. He did not like that American schools used British textbooks, so he turned to writing. During the debates on the Constitution, Webster wrote An Examination into the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution Proposed by the Late Convention Held at Philadelphia. He later moved to New York and worked on a newspaper, American Minerva. It was later renamed Commercial Advertiser. He worked on some other papers producing a great many editorials on such various subjects as disease and political essays. It was during this time he wrote his famous speller along we a reader and the first American dictionary. It was Webster who gave the country its common language. Webster was one of the most prolific writers of the period. As he grew older his interests shifted to religion and the abolition of slavery. He was a devout Congregationalist, dedicated to the spread of Christianity. In 1791 Webster founded the Connecticut Society for the Abolition of Slavery. Later he moved to Massachusetts and founded Amherst College before returning to his native Connecticut.
State – Connecticut Occupation – Teacher, writer, editor Religious Affiliation – Congregationalist (Puritan)
Quotes from him expressing his religious views:
“In some countries the common people are not permitted to read the Bible at all. In ours, it is as common as a newspaper and in schools is read with nearly the same degree of respect.” ~ On the Education of Youth in America, printed in Webster's American Magazine (1788)
“I should rejoice to see a system adopted that should lay a foundation for a permanent fund for public schools; and to have more pains taken to discipline our youth in early life in sound maxims of moral, political, and religious duties. I believe more than is commonly believed, may be done is this done, toward correcting the vices and disorders of society.” ~ Letter to Solomon Snead (March 30, 1820)
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“It is alleged by men of loose principles, or defective views of the subject, that religion and morality are not necessary or important qualifications for political stations. But the Scriptures teach a different doctrine. They direct that rulers should be men who rule in the fear of God, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness. But if we had no divine instruction on the subject, our own interest would demand of us a strict observance of the principle of these injunctions. . . .” ~ Letters to a Young Gentleman Commencing His Education (1823)
“The duties of men are summarily comprised in the Ten Commandments, consisting of two tables. One comprehending the duties which we owe immediately to God—the other, the duties we owe to our fellow men. Christ himself has reduced these commandments under two general precepts, which enjoin upon us, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength—and to love our neighbor as ourselves. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets—that is, they comprehend the substance of all the doctrines and precepts of the Bible, or the whole of religion.” ~ Letters to a Young Gentleman Commencing His Education (1823)
“In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.” ~ Preface to his Dictionary (April 14, 1828)
“The brief exposition of the constitution of the United States, will unfold to young persons the principles of republican government; and it is the sincere desire of the writer that our citizens should early understand that the genuine source of correct republican principles is the Bible, particularly the New Testament or the Christian religion.” ~ History of the United States (1832)
“Almost all the civil liberty now enjoyed in the world owes its origin to the principles of the christian religion.” ~ History of the United States (1832)
“The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles, which enjoins humility, piety, and benevolence; which acknowledges in every person a brother, or a sister, and a citizen with equal rights. This is genuine Christianity, and to this we owe our free Constitutions of Government.” ~ History of the United States (1832)
“When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, ‘just men who will rule in the fear of God.’ The preservation of [our] government depends on the faithful discharge of this Duty; if the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded. If [our] government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the Divine Commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the Laws.’
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~ History of the United States (1832)
“The Bible is the chief moral cause of all that is good, and the best corrector of all that is evil, in human society; the best book for regulating the temporal concerns of men, and the only book that can serve as an infallible guide to future felicity.” ~ The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments, in the Common Version with Amendments of the Language (1833)
“The ecclesiastical establishments of Europe, which serve to support tyrannical governments, are not the christian religion, but abuses and corruptions of it. The religion of Christ and his apostles, in its primitive simplicity and purity, unincumbered with the trappings of power and the pomp of ceremonies, is the surest basis of a republican government.” ~ Instructive and Entertaining Lessons for Youth (1835)
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Index
Adams, Abigail – the Others Hanson, John – the Articles Morris, Gouverneur – the Articles Adams, Andrew – the Articles Harnett, Cornelius – the Articles Morris, Lewis – the Signers Adams, John – the Presidents Harrison, Benjamin V – the Signers Morris, Robert – the Signers Adams, Samuel – the Signers Hart, John – the Signers Morton, John – the Signers Adams, Thomas – the Articles Harvie, John – the Articles Nelson, Thomas Jr. – the Signers Allen, Ethan – the Others Henry, Patrick – the Others Otis, James Jr. – the Others Allen, Richard – the Others Hewes, Joseph – the Signers Paca, William – the Signers Ames, Fisher – the Others Heyward, Thomas Jr. – the Signers Paine, Robert Treat – the Signers Baldwin, Abraham – the Framers Holten, Samuel – the Articles Paine, Thomas – the Others Banister, John – the Articles Hooper, William – the Signers Paterson, Robert – the Framers Bartlett, Josiah – the Signers Hopkins, Stephen – the Signers Penn, John – the Signers Bassett, Richard – the Framers Hopkinson, Francis – the Signers Pierce, William – the Framers Bedford, Gunning Jr. – the Framers Hosmer, Titus – the Articles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth – the Framers Blair, John – the Framers Houston, William Churchill – the Framers Randolph, Edmund J. – the Framers Bland, Richard – the Others Houstoun, William – the Framers Read, George – the Signers Blount, William – the Framers Huntington, Samuel – the Signers Reed, Joseph – the Articles Boudinot, Elias – the Others Hutson, Richard – the Articles Roberdeau, Daniel – the Articles Braxton, Carter – the Signers Ingersoll, Jared – the Framers Rodney, Caesar – the Signers Brearly, David – the Framers Iredell, James – the Others Ross, George – the Signers Broom, Jacob – the Framers Jay, John – the Others Rush, Benjamin – the Signers Butler, Pierce – the Framers Jefferson, Thomas – the Presidents Rutledge, Edward – the Signers Carroll, Charles – the Signers Jenifer, Daniel of St. Thomas – the Framers Rutledge, John – the Framers Carroll, Daniel – the Articles Johnson, William Samuel – the Framers Scudder, Nathaniel – the Articles Chase, Samuel – the Signers King, Rufus – the Framers Sherman, Roger – the Signers Clark, Abraham – the Signers Langdon, John – the Framers Smith, James – the Signers Clingan, William – the Articles Langworthy, Edward – the Articles Smith, Jonathan Bayard – the Articles Clymer, George – the Signers Lansing, John Jr. – the Framers Spaight, Richard Dobbs – the Framers Collins, John – the Articles Laurens, Henry – the Articles Stockton, Richard – the Signers Dana, Francis – the Articles Lee, Francis Lightfoot – the Signers Stone, Thomas – the Signers Davie, William – the Articles Lee, Richard Henry – the Signers Strong, Caleb – the Framers Dayton, Jonathan – the Framers Lewis, Francis – the Signers Taylor, George – the Signers Dickinson, John – the Articles Livingston, Philip – the Signers Telfair, Edward – the Articles Drayton, William Henry – the Articles Livingston, William – the Framers Thomson, Charles – the Others Duane, James – the Articles Lovell, James – the Articles Thornton, Matthew – the Signers Duer, William – the Articles Lynch, Robert Jr. – the Signers Van Dyke, Nicholas – the Articles Ellery, William – the Signers McClurg, James – the Framers Walton, George – the Signers Ellsworth, Oliver – the Framers McHenry, James – the Framers Walton, John – the Articles Few, William – the Framers McKean, Thomas – the Signers Washington, George – the Presidents Fitzsimons, Thomas – the Framers Madison, James – the Presidents Webster, Noah – the Others Floyd, William – the Signers Marchant, Henry – the Articles Whipple, William – the Signers Franklin, Benjamin – the Signers Marshall, John – the Others Williams, John – the Articles Gerry, Elbridge – the Signers Martin, Alexander – the Framers Williams, William – the Signers Gilman, Nicholas – the Framers Martin, Luther – the Framers Williamson, Hugh – the Framers Gorham, Nathaniel – the Framers Mason, George – the Framers Wilson, James – the Signers Gwinnett, Button – the Signers Mathews, John – the Articles Witherspoon, John – the Signers Hall, Lyman – the Signers Mercer, John F. – the Framers Wolcott, Oliver – the Signers Hamilton, Alexander – the Framers Middleton, Arthur – the Signers Wythe, George – the Signers Hancock, John – the Signers Monroe, James – the Presidents Yates, Robert – the Framers
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Bibliography
Books
Robert G. Ferris (editor), Signers of the Constitution: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Constitution, published by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service: Washington, D.C. (revised edition 1976)
Robert G. Ferris (editor), Signers of the Declaration: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, published by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service: Washington, D.C. (revised edition 1975),
Goodrich, Reverend Charles Augustus (1829) Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. New York: William Reed & Co.
Lossing, B.J. (1848) Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of American Independence: The Declaration Historically Considered and a Sketch of the Leading Events Connected with the Adoption of the Articles of Confederation and of the Federal Constitution. New York: Geo. F. Cooledge & Brother Reprinted as: Signers of the Declaration of Independence (1995)
Marshall, James V. The United States Manual of Biography and History. Philadelphia: James B. Smith & Co., 1856.
Morris, Benjamin Franklin (1864) Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States: Developed in the Official and Historical Annals of the Republic. Philadelphia: George W. Childs
Preston, Daniel & Stello, Heidi (2010) Quotations of James Monroe: On the Subjects of His Family, Friends, Private Affairs, and Public Policy with A Selection of Portraits and Views. Charlottesville, Virginia: Ash Lawn-Highlands, the home of James Monroe, BMS Direct, Inc,
Steiner, Bernard C. (1921) One Hundred and Ten Years of Bible Society Work in Maryland, 1810-1920 (Maryland Bible Society)
Steiner, Bernard., and McHenry, James (1907) The Life and Correspondence of James McHenry (Cleveland: Burrows Brothers Co.)
Trumbull, John (1902). History of Northampton, Volume 2
Walker, E. (1842) Addresses and messages of the presidents of the United States from Washington to Tyler: embracing the Executive Proclamations, recommendations, protests, and vetoes, from 1789 to 1842, together with the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the U.S. New York: Edward Walker
Web links
http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html http://colonialhall.com/biodoi.php - Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence, by the Rev. Charles A. Goodrich http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JefCycl.html - The Jefferson Cyclopedia http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2001/03/james-madison-and-religious-liberty - James Madison and Religious Liberty http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gw004.html - Library of Congress, Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation
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http://www.loc.gov/loc/madison/hutson-paper.html - The Huston Paper on James Madison http://www.mountvernon.org/ http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/amendI_religions68.html - Letter to Reverend Adams http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/sacred/madison_m&r_1785.html - The Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments
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NOTES
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