Comparison Essay
Crystal Michaels Broaddus
GOVT 200 – D31
Liberty University
The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Thomas Jefferson’s letter to
the Danbury Baptist are all significant documents that have contributed to the rich history of the
United States of America. While each document is different, they all share certain similarities.
One similarity, which will only enhance the ability to compare, is that each of these documents
was written or contributed to by Thomas Jefferson. Throughout this paper, I will briefly note the
significance of each document and provide a comparison between the three different historical
documents.
To start, I will discuss the oldest of the three documents. The Declaration of
Independence was written with the purpose of declaring the colonies' separate from England
and its reigning power. This document, written by Thomas Jefferson, was signed on July 4th,
1776. It declared the colonies independent and states that, “We hold these truths to be self-
evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Thomas
Jefferson).
The second document that came to life, after being signed on September 17, 1787, was
the United States Constitution. While the Declaration of Independence was the first step
towards separating from England, the U.S Constitution was meant to solidify a sound and just
government that provided rule to the people. A year prior to the signing of the Constitution,
Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. In this document, he said, “That no
man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry
whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor
shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free
to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same
shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities” (Thomas Jefferson). The Virginia
Statute for religious freedom provided the blueprint for the development of the First Amendment
of the U.S Constitution which asserts individual rights to freely worship, assemble, express, and
petition without government restriction.
Succeeding both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S Constitution was the
letter written by Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists in 1802. In his letter, he sympathized with the
Danbury Baptist Committee and reiterated what we also see in the First Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution. He expressed a shared belief 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
legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions” (Thomas Jefferson).
Jefferson continued to explain that, “thus building a wall of separation between Church and
State” (Thomas Jefferson) is not meant to remove religion from the government but to protect
the people from being forced to practice any one religion.
When considering each of these documents, we can draw similarities in the goals of
each. The Declaration of Independence declared freedom from England. The U.S Constitution
provided a basis of government and rights for the freed colonies. The letter written by Jefferson
to the Danbury Baptists committee addresses the right to freedom of religion and protection of
this freedom by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Ultimately, the United States was
formed as "One Nation Under God," in a declaration of religious freedom. While separation of
church and state was necessary to enable the continued and protected freedom of religion, it
was not meant to remove religion from the government.
References
Jefferson, T. (n.d.). Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists The Final Letter, as Sent.
Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html
Jefferson, T. (n.d.). Text of the Declaration of Independence. Retrieved November 16,
2020, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Declaration-of-Independence/Text-of-the-
Declaration-of-Independence
Ragosta, J. Virginia Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom (1786). (2014, July 2). In
Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from
http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Virginia_Statute_for_Establishing_Religious_Freedom_178
6
The U.S. Constitution. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2020, from
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/full-text
Walker, C. (n.d.). Thomas Jefferson. Retrieved November 16, 2020, from
https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1218/thomas-jefferson
