Abigail Adams
"The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
strong; but the God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto
His people. Trust in Him at all times, ye people, pour out your hearts
before him; God is a refuge for us.
"Charleston is laid in ashes. The battle began upon our
entrenchments upon Bunker's Hill, Saturday morning about 3 o'clock, and
has not ceased yet, and it is now three o'clock Sabbath afternoon. It
is expected they will come out over the Neck tonight, and a dreadful
battle must ensue. Almighty God, cover the heads of our countrymen, and
be a shield to our dear friends..."
"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?....The Scriptures
tell us "righteousness exalteth a Nation."
John Adams
July 4, 1774
"We went to meeting at Wells and had the pleasure of hearing my friend
upon "Be not partakers in other men's sins. Keep yourselves pure.
"We...took our horses to the meeting in the afternoon
and heard the minister again upon "Seek first the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." There
is great pleasure in hearing sermons so serious, so clear, so sensible
and instructive as these ...."
October 9, 1774
"This day I went to Dr. Allison's meeting in the afternoon, and heard
the Dr. Francis Allison . . . give a good discourse upon the Lord's
Supper .... I had rather go to Church. We have better sermons, better
prayers, better speakers, softer, sweeter music, and genteeler company.
And I must confess that the Episcopal church is quite as agreeable to
my taste as the Presbyterian.... I like the Congregational way best,
next to that the Independent...."
1754
"It is the duty of the clergy to accommodate their discourses to the
times, to preach against such sins as are most prevalent, and recommend
such virtues as are most wanted. For example, if exorbitant ambition
and venality are predominant, ought they not to warn their hearers
against those vices? If public spirit is much wanted, should they not
inculcate this great virtue? If the rights and duties of Christian
magistrates and subjects are disputed, should they not explain them,
show their nature, ends, limitations, and restrictions, how muchsoever
it may move the gall of Massachusetts."
June 21, 1776
"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."
July 1, 1776
"Before God, I believe the hour has come. My judgement approves this
measure, and my whole heart is in it. All that I have, and all that I
am, and all that I hope in this life, I am now ready here to stake upon
it. And I leave off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish, I
am for the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing
of God it shall be my dying sentiment. Independence now, and
Independence for ever!"
In a July 1, 1776 letter to Archibald Bullock,
former member of the Continental Congress from Georgia, Adams wrote:
"The object is great which We have in View, and We must expect a great
expense of blood to obtain it. But We should always remember that a
free Constitution of civil Government cannot be purchased at too dear a
rate as there is nothing, on this side (of) the New Jerusalem, of equal
importance to Mankind."
July 3, 1776
"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the
history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by
succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to
be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion
to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with
shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one
end ofthis continent to the other, from this time forward forever.
"You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I
am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will
cost to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States.
Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing light and
glory I can see that the end is worth more than all the means; that
posterity will triumph in that day's transaction, even though we [may
regret] it, which I trust in God we shall not."
In concern for his sons, John Adams advised his wife
Abigail to:
"Let them revere nothing but Religion, Morality and
Liberty."
Oct. 11, 1798 (Address to the military)
"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 moral and religious people. It is
wholly inadequate to the government ofany other."
On March 6, 1799, President John Adams called for a
National Fast Day.
"As no truth is more clearly taught in the Volume of
Inspiration, nor any more fully demonstrated by the experience of all
ages, than that a deep sense and a due acknowledgement of the growing
providence of a Supreme Being and of the accountableness of men to Him
as the searcher of hearts and righteous distributer of rewards and
punishments are conducive equally to the happiness ofindividuals and to
the well-being of communities....
"I have thought proper to recommend, and I hereby
recommend accordingly, that Thursday, the twenty-fifth 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 occupation, and 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" (Proverbs 14:34)"
On November 2, 1800, John Adams became the first
president to move into the White House. As he was writing a letter to
his wife, he composed a beautiful prayer, which was later engraved upon
the mantel in the state dining room:
"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."
August 28, 1811
"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."
June 28, 1813
"Now I will avow, that I then believe, 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."
In a letter to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams wrote:
"Have you ever found in history, one single example of
a Nation thoroughly corrupted that was afterwards restored to
virtue?... And without virtue, there can be no political
liberty....Will you tell me how to prevent riches from becoming the
effects of temperance and industry? Will you tell me how to prevent
luxury from producing effeminacy, intoxication, extravagance, vice and
folly?...I believe no effort in favor is lost..."
In a letter dated November 4, 1816, John Adams wrote
to Thomas Jefferson:
"The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount
contain my religion..."
December 27, 1816
"As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and
is, a revelation."
"Liberty cannot be preserved without a general
knowledge among the people, who have...a right, an indisputable,
unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied
kind of knowledge, I mean the character and conduct of their rulers."
John Quincy Adams
"Duty is ours; results are God's."
September, 1811, in a letter to his son:
"I have myself, for many years, made it a practice to
read through the Bible once ever year.... My custom is, to read four to
five chapters every morning immediately after rising from my bed. I
employs about an hour of my time...."
July 4, 1821
"The highest glory of the American Revolution was
this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil
government with the principles of Christianity.
"From the day of the Declaration...they (the American
people) were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws
of The Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledge as the rules of their
conduct."
July 4, 1837
"Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of
the World, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this
day. Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the
nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday ofthe Savior? That it
forms a leading event in the Progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it
not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social
compact on the foundation ofthe Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it
laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of
Christianity and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the
fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from Heaven at the
birth of the Saviour and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew
prophets 600 years before."
"I speak as a man of the world to men of the world;
and I say to you, Search the Scriptures! The Bible is the book of all
others, to be read at all ages, and in all conditions of human life;
not to be read in small portions of one or two chapters every day, and
never to be intermitted, unless by some overruling necessity."
"Posterity--you will never know how much it has cost
my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use
of it."
February 27, 1844
"The Bible carries with it the history of the
creation, the fall and redemption of man, and discloses to him, in the
infant born at Bethlehem, the Legislator and Savior of the world."
Samuel Adams
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude
greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in
peace. We seek not your council, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick
the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our
country men."
"Among the natural rights of the colonists are these:
first, a right to life; second, to liberty; third, to property;
together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner
they can. These are evident branches of ... the duty of
self-preservation, commonly called the first law of nature. All men
have a right to remain in a state of nature as long as they please; and
in case of intolerable oppression, civil or religious, to leave the
society they belong to, and ernter into another.... Now what liberty
can there be where property is taken away without consent?" (Nov
20, 1772)
"The rights of the colonists as Christians...may be
best understood by reading and carefully studying the institution of
The Great Law Giver and Head of the Christian Church, which are to be
found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament." (From
The Rights of Colonists, 1772)
As the Declaration of Independence was being signed,
1776, Samuel Adams declared:
"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."
"He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of
this country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as
his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into
any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man....The
sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us
become a virtuous people."
"He who is void of virtuous attachments in private life
is, or very soon will be, void of all regard for his country. There is
seldom an instance of a man guilty of betraying his country, who had
not before lost the feeling of moral obligations in his private
connections." --in a letter to James Warren, Nov. 4, 1775--
"The said constitution shall never be construed to
authorize congress to prevent the people of the United States who are
peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms."
Samuel Adams wrote in his Will:
"Principally, and first of all, I resign my soul to the
Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying
on the merits of Jesus Christ for the pardon of my sins."
Fisher Ames
(Author of the First Amendment)
"Should not the Bible regain the place it once held as
a schoolbook? Its morals are pure, its examples are captivating and
noble....In no Book is there so good English, so pure and so elegant,
and by teaching all the same they will speak alike, and the Bible will
justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith."
Abraham Baldwin
(Founder of the University of Georgia)
"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."
Sir William Blackstone
(Blackstone's Commentaries on the Law was the
recognized authority on the law for well over a century after 1776)
"Man, considered as a creature, must necessarily be
subject to the laws of his Creator, for he is entirely a dependent
being....And, consequently, as man depends absolutely upon his Maker
for everything, it is necessary that he should in all points conform to
his Maker's will...this will of his Maker is called the law of nature.
These laws laid down by God are the eternal immutable laws of good and
evil...This law of nature dictated by God himself, is of course
superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe,
in all countries, and at all times: no human laws are of any validity
if contrary to this...
"The doctrines thus delivered we call the revealed or
divine law, and they are to be found only in the holy
scriptures...[and] are found upon comparison to be really part of the
original law of nature. Upon these two foundations, the law of nature
and the law of revelation, depend all human laws; that is to say, no
human laws should be suffered to contradict these.
"Blasphemy against the Almighty is denying his being
or providence, or uttering contumelious reproaches on our Savior
Christ. It is punished, at common law by fine and imprisonment, for
Christianity is part of the laws of the land.
"If [the legislature] will positively enact a thing to
be done, the judges are not at liberty to reject it, for that were to
set the judicial power above that of the legislature, which should be
subversive of all government."
"The preservation of Christianity as a national
religion is abstracted from its own intrinsic truth, of the utmost
consequence to the civil state, which a single instance will
sufficiently demonstrate.
"The belief of a future state of rewards and
punishments, the entertaining just ideas of the main attributes ofthe
Supreme Being, and a firm persuasion that He superintends and will
finally compensate every action in human life (all which are revealed
in the doctrines of our Savior, Christ), these are the grand
foundations of all judicial oaths, which call God to witness the truth
of those facts which perhaps may be only known to Him and the party
attesting; all moral evidences, therefore, all confidence in human
veracity, must be weakened by apostasy, and overthrown by total
infidelity.
"Wherefore, all affronts to Christianity, or endeavors
to depreciate its efficacy, in those who have once professed it, are
highly deserving of censure."
Samuel Chase
"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."
Ben Franklin
"They that would give up essential liberty for a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Congressional Congress, 1787
"I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live,
the more convincing proofs I see of this truth--that God Governs 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?
"We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings,
that "except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build
it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his
concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better
than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local
interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall
become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse,
mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of
establishing Governments by Human wisdom and leave it to chance, war
and conquest.
"I therefore beg leave to move--that henceforth prayers
imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessing on our
deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed
to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be
requested to officiate in that service."
In 1748, as Pennsylvania's Governor, Benjamin
Franklin proposed Pennsylvania's first Fast Day:
"It is the duty of mankind on all suitable occasions to
acknowledge their dependence on the Divine Being... [that] Almighty God
would mercifully interpose and still the rage of war among the
nations...[and that] He would take this province under his protection,
confound the designs and defeat the attempts of its enemies, and unite
our hearts and strengthen our hands in every undertaking that may be
for the public good, and for our defense and security in this time of
danger."
"I never doubted, for instance, the existence of the
Deity; that he made the world, and governed it by his Providence; that
the most acceptable service of God was the doing good to man; that our
souls are immortal; and that all crime will be punished, and virtue
rewarded either here or hereafter.
"Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men,
but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.
"The pleasures of this world are rather from God's
goodness than our own merit."
Benjamin Franklin, in July of 1776, was appointed
part of a committee to draft a seal for the newly united states which
would characterize the spirit of this new nation. He proposed:
"Moses lifting up his wand, and dividing the Red Sea,
and Pharaoh in his chariot overwhelmed with the waters. This motto:
'Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."
"A Bible and a newspaper in every house, a good school
in every district--all studied and appreciated as they merit--are the
principal support of virtue, morality, and civil liberty."
Ben Franklin wrote a pamphlet called, "Information
to Those who would Remove to America." It was intended to be a guide
for Europeans who were thinking of relocating in America. In it he said:
"Hence bad examples to youth are more rare in America,
which must be comfortable consideration to parents. To this may be
truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is
not only tolerated, but respected and practiced.
"Atheism is unknown there; Infidelity rare and secret;
so that persons may live to a great age in that country without having
their piety shocked by meeting with either an Atheist or an Infidel.
"And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his
approbation of the mutual forbearance and kindness with which the
different sects treat each other; by the remarkable prosperity with
which he has been pleased to favor the whole country."
"Here is my Creed. I believe in one God, the Creator of
the Universe. That He governs it by His Providence. That he ought to be
worshipped."
Benjamin Franklin wrote his own epitaph:
"THE BODY of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Printer
Like the cover of an old book,
Its contents torn out,
And stripped of its lettering and gilding
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"
Alexander Hamilton
(Co-Author of the Federalist Papers)
It was desirable that the sense of the people should
operate in the choice of the person to whom so important a trust (the
office of President) was to be confided.... Nothing was more to be
desired than that every practicable obstacle should be opposed to
cabal, intrigue, and corruption.... The process of election affords a
moral certainty that the office of President will never fall to the lot
of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite
qualifications.... It will not be too strong to say that there be
constant probability of seeing the station filled by characters
preeminent for ability and virtue...." ( In Federalist No. 68)
"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.
"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.
"A...virtuous citizen will regard his own country as a
wife, to whom he is bound to be exclusively faithful and affectionate;
and he will watch...every propensity of his heart to wander towards a
foreign country, which he will regard as a mistress that may pervert
his fidelity."
John Hancock
April 15, 1775
"In circumstances 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 Judgements....All confidence must be
withheld from the Means we use; and reposed only on that GOD who rules
in the Armies of Heaven, and without whose Blessing the best human
Counsels are but Foolishness--and all created Power Vanity;
"It is the Happiness of his Church that, when the
Powers of Earth and Hell combine against it...that the Throne of Grace
is of the easiest access--and its Appeal thither is graciously invited
by the Father of Mercies, who has assured it, that when his Children
ask Bread he will not give them a Stone....
"RESOLVED, That it be, and hereby is recommended to the
good People of this Colony of all Denominations, that THURSDAY the
Eleventh Day of May next be set apart as a Day of Public Humiliation,
Fasting and Prayer...to confess the sins...to implore the Forgiveness
of all our Transgression...and a blessing on the Husbandry,
Manufactures, and other lawful Employments of this People; and
especially that the union of the American Colonies in Defense of their
Rights (for hitherto we desire to thank Almighty GOD) may be preserved
and confirmed....And that AMERICA may soon behold a gracious
Interposition of Heaven."
By Order of the [Massachusetts] Provincial
Congress, John Hancock, President.
Patrick Henry
March 23, 1775
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased
at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not
what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me
death!"
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that
this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians;
not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very
reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity,
and freedom of worship here."
"The Bible is worth all other books which have ever
been printed."
"Bad men cannot make good citizens. A vitiated state of
morals, a corrupted public conscience are incompatible with freedom."
"It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their
chains."
"The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone
who is able may have a gun."
On November 20, 1798, in his Last Will and
Testament, Patrick Henry wrote:
"This is all the inheritance I give to my dear family.
The religion of Christ will give them one which will make them rich
indeed."
John Jay
(America's first Supreme Court Chief Justice and
Co-Author of the Federalist Papers)
October 12, 1816
"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.
In his Last Will and Testament, John Jay wrote:
"Unto Him who is the author and giver of all good, I
render sincere and humble thanks for His merciful and unmerited
blessings, and especially for our redemption and salvation by his
beloved Son."
Thomas Jefferson
"Self-love . . . is the sole antagonist of virtue,
leading us constantly by our propensities to self-gratification in
violation of our moral duties to others."
(If a) people (are) so demoralized and depraved as to
be incapable of exercising a wholesome control, thier reformation must
be taken up ab incunablis (from the beginning). Their minds (must) be
informed by education what is right and what wrong, (must) be
encouraged in habits of virtue and deterred from those of vice by the
dread of punishments, proportioned indeed, but irremissible. In all
cases, (they must) follow truth as the only safe guide and eschew error
which bewilders us in one false consequence after another in endless
succession. These are the inculcations necessary to render the people a
sure basis for the structure of order and good government."
In a letter to John Adams in 1819
"He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it
much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes
habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the
world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of
the heart, and it time depraves all its good dispositions." (1785)
"I never ... believed there was one code of morality
for a public and another for a private man."
In a letter to Don Valentine de Feronda, 1809
"The only foundation for useful education in a republic
is to be laid in religion."
"God who gave us life gave us liberty. 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 forever."
"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 in which he wished any one to be; sincerely
attached to his doctrines in preference to all others..."
"I consider the doctrines of Jesus as delivered by
himself to contain the outlines of the sublimest system of morality
that has ever been taught but I hold in the most profound detestation
and execration the corruptions of it which have been invented..."
As President, Thomas Jefferson not only signed
bills which appropriated financial support for chaplains in Congress
and in the armed services, but he also signed the Articles of War,
April 10, 1806, in which he:
"Earnestly recommended to all officers and soldiers,
diligently to attend divine services."
In a letter to Horatio G. Spafford, dated March
17, 1814, Thomas Jefferson wrote:
"Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on
does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they
draw their gains."
"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."
"I have always said, I always will say, that the
studious perusal of the sacred volume will make better citizens, better
fathers, and better husbands."
Jefferson declared that religion is:
"Deemed in other countries incompatible with good government and yet
proved by our experience to be its best support."
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a
state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
"No free man shall ever be de-barred the use of arms.
The strongest reason for the people to retain their right to keep and
bear arms is as a last resort to protect themselves against tyranny in
government."
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to
time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
"In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of
confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the
Constitution."
Jefferson's "separation of church & state
letter written to the Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut on January 1,
1802
"Gentlemen:
The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation
which are so good to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury
Association, give me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a
faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and
in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the
discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.
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 the 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, of prohibiting the free excercise thereof,' thus building a
wall of separation between church and state. Adhering to this
expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of
conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those
sentiments which tend to restore man to all of his natural rights,
convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.
I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and
blessings of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you and
your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem."
Francis Scott Key
February 22, 1812
"The patriot who feels himself in the service of God,
who acknowledges Him in all his ways, has the promise of Almighty
direction, and will find His Word in his greatest darkness, a lantern
to his feet and a lamp unto his paths.' He will therefore seek to
establish for his country in the eyes of the world, such a character as
shall make her not unworthy of the name of a Christian nation...."
James Madison
(Architect of the U.S. Constitution & Co-Author of
the Federalist Papers)
"History records that the money changers have used
every form of abuse, intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible to
maintain their control over governments by controlling the money and
its issuance."
"There are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the of
the people by the gradual and silent encroachment of those in power,
than by violent an sudden usurpation."
"[It] is indispensable that some provision should be
made for defending the Community agst [against] the incapicity,
negligence or perfidy of the chief Magistrate."
From his notes
Note: Perfidy is defined as "The quality or state of
being faithless or disloyal."
"Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the
cross of Christ."
"Religion [is] the basis and Foundation of Government."
"It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator
such homage....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."
"We have staked the whole future of American
civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have
staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the
capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control
ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of
God."
George Mason
"No point is of more importance than that the right of
impeachment should be continued. Shall any man be above Justice?
Gouverneur Morris
"... If the people should elect, they will never fail
to prefer some man of distinguished character, or services; some man,
if he might so speak of continental reputation... a notoriety and
eminence of character... to merit this high trust ... an Executive
Magistrate of distinguished character... an object of general attention
and esteem...." (1787)
"Religion is the only solid basis of good morals;
therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the
duties of man toward God."
"Americans need never fear their government because of
the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the
people of almost every other nation."
Dr. Jedidah Morse
"To the kindly influence of Christianity, we owe that
degree of civil freedom, and political and social happiness which
mankind now enjoy. In proportion, as the genuine effects of
Christianity are diminished in any nation, either through unbelief, or
the corruption of its doctrines, or the neglect of its institutions; in
the same proportion will the people of the nation recede from the
blessings of genuine freedom and approximate the miseries of complete
despotism." (1799)
John Peter Muhlenberg
(He was elected as a member of the Virginia House of
Burgesses in 1774, and was a 30-year-old pastor who preached on the
Christian's responsibility to be involved in securing freedom for
America. He was the son of Henry Muhlenberg, one of the founders of the
Lutheran Church in America.)
In 1775, after preaching a message on Ecclesiastes
3:1, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter
under heaven," John Peter Muhlenberg closed his message by saying:
"In the language of the Holy Writ, there is a time for
all things. There is a time to preach and a time to fight."
He then threw off his robes to reveal the uniform of a
soldier in the Revolutionary Army. That afternoon, at the head of 300
men, he marched off to join General Washington's troops, becoming
Colonel of the 8th Virginia Regiment. He served until the end of the
war being promoted to the rank of Major-general. In 1785 he became the
Vice-President of Pennsylvania and in 1790 was a member ofthe
Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention. He then served as a U.S.
Congressman from Pennsylvania and in 1801 was elected to the U. S.
Senate.
Thomas Paine
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom
must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
"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 cheaply, we esteem too lightly;
'tis dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to
put a price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so
celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.
"The cause of America is in a great measure the cause
of all mankind. Where, some say, is the king of America? I'll tell you,
friend, He reigns above.
"Yet that we may not appear to be defective even in
earthly honors, let a day be solemnly set apart for proclaiming the
charter; let it be placed on the divine law, the Word of God; let a
crown be placed thereon.
"The Almighty implanted in us these inextinguishable
feelings for good and wise purposes. They are the guardians of His
image in our heart. They distinguish us from the herd of common
animals."
"I would give worlds, if I had them, if The Age of
Reason had never been published. O Lord, help! Stay with me! It is hell
to be left alone."
"I die in perfect composure and resignation to the will
of my Creator, God."
William Penn
(Founder of Pennsylvania)
"If thou wouldst rule well, thou must rule for God, and
to do that, thou must be ruled by him....Those who will not be governed
by God will be ruled by tyrants."
Josiah Quincy
"Blandishments will not fascinate us, nor will threats
of a "halter" intimidate. For, under God, we are determined that
wheresoever, whensoever, or howsoever we shall be called to make our
exit, we will die free men."
Benjamin Rush
"By removing the Bible from schools we would be wasting
so much time and money in punishing criminals and so little pains to
prevent crime. Take the Bible out of our schools and there would be an
explosion in crime."
"I have alternately been called an Aristocrat and a
Democrat. I am neither. I am a Christocrat."
Jonathan Trumbull
(He was the British Governor of Connecticut who had
been appointed by King George III. He was also the father of the famous
Revolutionary artist of the same name. Jonathan Trumbull became
sympathetic to the American cause in 1773.)
"If you ask an American, who is his master? He will
tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ."
George Washington
"My ardent desire is, and my aim has been...to comply
strictly with all our engagements foreign and domestic; but to keep the
United States free from political connections with every other Country.
To see that they may be independent of all, and under the influence of
none. In a word, I want an American character, that the powers of
Europe may be convinced we act for ourselves and not for others; this,
in my judgment, is the only way to be respected abroad and happy at
home."
"Government is not reason; it is not eloqence; it is
force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
"The thing that separates the American Christian from
every other person on earth is the fact that he would rather die on his
feet, than live on his knees!"
From Washington's First Inaugural address, “I
hope that the foundation of our national policy will be laid in the
pure and immutable principles of private morality. The preeminence of
free government exemplifies by all the attributes which can win the
affections of its citizens and command the respect of the world."
"The General orders this day to be religiously observed
by the forces under his Command, exactly in manner directed by the
Continental Congress. It is therefore strictly enjoined on all officers
and soldiers to attend Divine service, And it is expected that all
those who go to worship do take their arms, ammunition and
accoutrements, and are prepared for immediate action, if called upon."
"The time is now near at hand which must probably
determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they
are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses
and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to
a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them.
The fate of unborn millions will now depend. under God,
on the courage of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us
only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We
have, therefore to resolve to conquer or die."
"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 laud the more distinguished Character of
Christian."
In his Inaugural Speech, April 30, 1789,
"...it would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this
first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who
rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations and
whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His
benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people
of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these
essential purposes...."
"No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the
Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people
of the United States."
October 3, 1789, National Day of Thanksgiving
"Whereas 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 favor....
"Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday,
the twenty-sixth day of November next, to be devoted by the people of
these United States...
"that we then may all unite unto him our sincere and
humble thanks for His kind care and protection ofthe people of this
country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and
manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in
the course and conclusion of the late war;
"for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty
which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in
which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for
our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately
instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are
blessed....
"And also that we may then unite in most humbly
offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of
Nations, and beseech him to pardon our national and other
transgressions...to promote the knowledge and practice of the true
religion and virtue....
Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3rd
of October, A.D. 1789"
George Washington's personal prayer book, consisting
of 24 pages in his field notebook, written in his own handwriting,
reveal the depth of his character:
"SUNDAY MORNING....Almighty God, and most merciful
Father, who didst command the children of Israel to offer a daily
sacrifice to Thee, that thereby they might glorify and praise Thee for
Thy protection both night and day, receive O Lord, my morning sacrifice
which I now offer up to thee;
"I yield Thee humble and hearty thanks, that Thou hast
preserved me from the dangers of the night past and brought me to the
Light of this day, and the comfort thereof, a day which is consecrated
to Thine own service and for Thine own honour.
"Let my heart therefore gracious God be so affected
with the glory and majesty of it, that I may not do mine own works but
wait on Thee, and discharge those weighty duties Thou required of me:
and since Thou art a God of pure eyes, and will be sanctified in all
who draw nearer to Thee, who dost not regard the sacrifice of fools,
nor hear sinners who tread in Thy courts, pardon I beseech Thee, my
sins, remove them from Thy presence, as far as the east is from the
west, and accept of me for the merits of Thy son Jesus Christ, that
when I come into Thy temple and compass Thine altar, my prayer may come
before Thee as incense, and as I desire Thou wouldst hear me calling
upon Thee in my prayers, so give me peace to hear the calling on me in
Thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and
peace to the saving of my soul in the day ofthe Lord Jesus.
"Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it
with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me
gracious God, the good work for which Thou hast sent it.
"Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our
God and guide this day and forever for His sake, who lay down in the
grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without
God and the Bible."
"It is impossible to account for the creation of the
universe, without the agency of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to
govern the universe without the aid of a Supreme Being. It is
impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being."
"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."
Washington proclaimed firearms to be "the people's
liberty teeth."
Daniel Webster
"There is no nation on earth powerful enough to
accomplish our overthrow. Our destruction, should it come at all, will
be from anothe quarter. From the inattention of the people to the
concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence. I
must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may
place too implicit a confidence in their public servants and fail
properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made
the dupes of designing men and become the instruments of their own
undoing."
"Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the
Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has
happened once in 6000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the
Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will
be anarchy throughout the world."
"If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our
country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our
posterity neglect its instruction and authority, no man can tell how
sudden a catastrophe may ovenvhelm us and bury all our glory in
profound obscurity."
"Finally, let us not forget the religious character of
our origin. Our fathers were brought hither by their high veneration
for the Christian religion. They journeyed by its light, and labored in
its hope. They sought to incorporate its principles with the elements
of their society, and to diffuse its influence through all their
institutions, civil, political, or literary.
"Let us cherish these sentiments, and extend this
influence still more widely; in full conviction that that is the
happiest society which partakes in the highest degree of the mild and
peaceful spirit of Christianity."
"God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are
always ready to guard and defend it."
"The hand that destroys the Constitution rends our
Union asunder forever."
"Thank God! I--I also--am an American!"
"If religious books are not widely circulated among the
masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as
a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be; If God and His Word
are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the
ascendancy, If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the
pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; If the power of the
Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land,
anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness
will reign without mitigation or end."
"I shall stand by the Union, and by all who stand by
it. I shall do justice to the whole country...in all I say, and act for
the good of the whole country in all I do. I mean to stand upon the
Constitution. I need no other platform. I shall know but one country.
The ends I aim at shall be my country's, my God's, and Truth's. I was
born an American; I live an American; I shall die an American; and I
intend to perform the duties incumbent upon me in that character to the
end of my career. I mean to do this with absolute disregard of personal
consequences.What are the personal consequences? What is the individual
man, with all the good or evil that may betide him, in comparison with
the good or evil which may befall a great country, and in the midst of
great transactions which concern that country's fate? Let the
consequences be what they will, I am careless. No man can suffer too
much, and no man can fall too soon, if he suffer, or if he fall, in the
defense of the liberties and constitution of his country."
"This is the Book. I have read the Bible through many
times, and now make it a practice to read it through once every year.
It is a book of all others for lawyers, as well as divines; and I pity
the man who cannot find in it a rich supply of thought and of rules for
conduct. It fits man for life--it prepares him for death."
When asked the question, "What is the greatest
thought that ever passed through your mind?" Daniel Webster responded:
"My accountability to God."
Noah Webster
(The father of public education in America)
He declared government was responsible to:
"Discipline our youth in early life in sound maxims of moral,
political, and religious duties."
"Education is useless without the Bible."
"The Bible was America's basic text book in all fields."
"God's Word, contained in the Bible, has fumished all necessary
rules to direct our conduct."
"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."
In 1832, Noah Webster published his History of the United States,
in which he wrote:
"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.
"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.
"The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought
to form the basis of all of our civil constitutions and laws....All the
miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition,
injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or
neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.
"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 a republican 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 the 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 citizens will be violated or disregarded.
"If a republican 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."
"Corruption of morals is rapid enough in any country without a
bounty from government. And...the Chief Magistrate of the United States
should be the last man to accelerate its progress."
