Buffalo Law Review Volume 47 Number 2 Article 2 4-1-1999 Regionalism and the Religion Clauses: The Contribution of Fisher Ames Marc M. Arkin Fordham University School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/buffalolawreview Part of the Legal History Commons, and the Religion Law Commons Recommended Citation Marc M. Arkin, Regionalism and the Religion Clauses: The Contribution of Fisher Ames, 47 Buff. L. Rev. 763 (1999). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/buffalolawreview/vol47/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Buffalo Law Review by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Regionalism and the Religion Clauses: The Contribution of Fisher Ames MARC M. ARKINt INTRODUCTION On August 20, 1789, Massachusetts Federalist Fisher Ames rose to address the House of Representatives in one of his rare contributions to the debate on the Bill of Rights.' The day before, sitting as a Committee of the Whole, the House had concluded its brief discussion of the proposed religion amendment to the federal Constitution by agreeing to New Hampshire Representative Samuel Livermore's formula that "Congress shall make no laws touching religion, or infringing t Professor of Law, Fordham University School of Law. I would like to thank Martin Flaherty, Philip Hamburger, Douglas Laycock, Henry Monaghan, Edward Purcell, Jack Rakove, Conrad E. Wright, and most especially; Michael Martin for their comments on earlier versions of this essay.