The Foundational Documents and the Separation of Church and State
Carly Smock
GOVT 200-06
Mr. Aaron Van Allen
09/29/2025
1
The foundation of the American government was built upon three essential documents,
The Declaration of Independence (1776), the U.S. Constitution (1787), and Thomas Jefferson’s
Letter to the Danbury Baptists (1802). Each of these writings addresses essential ideas during
this time, such as liberty, governance, and the role of religion in public life. While the
Declaration of Independence articulates the philosophical rationale for the Independence of
Americans, the U.S. Constitution provides the legal framework for the new republic. Jefferson’s
letter later offers clarity on how our religious liberties fit into the American vision. A careful
comparison not only reveals continuity but also offers a change in the treatment of rights,
governance, and the relationship between church and state. Understanding these documents
can also help us answer a key question: What did the Founders believe about the role of God
and religion in government?
The Declaration of Independence came first in 1776, written primarily by Thomas
Jefferson to announce the American colonies’ separation from Great Britain. This document
holds an emphasis on the unalienable rights, which are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness”- which are “endowed by their Creator (United States, 1776). This reference to a
divine source of rights provides a clear acknowledgement of God’s authority in granting
freedom and dignity to individuals. This document is philosophical in nature, aiming to justify a
resolution through natural law and moral reasoning. The U.S. Constitution, which was ratified in
1787, reflects a different purpose. Rather than justifying a rebellion, it aims to establish a
functioning government. It sets forth the separation of powers, checks and balances, and the
rule of law (United States, 1787). Unlike the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution does
not mention God or a Creator. However, both documents share important themes- especially
the idea that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed (United
States, 1776; United States, 1787). The timeline is crucial. The Declaration of Independence
provided the ideological foundation, while the Constitution gave that foundation structure and
durability. The earlier influence on the later protections of liberties embedded in the
2
Constitution, such as the Bill of Rights. From a biblical worldview, both documents align with the
idea that humans are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27, ESV) and thus deserve to have
freedom. Romans 13:1-7 affirms the need for government to maintain order, which is what the
Constitution seeks to provide. The balance of liberty and law reflects the biblical principles of
justice, authority, and individual dignity. In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson wrote to the
Danbury Baptists Association of Connecticut. This letter was in response to their concerns about
religious freedom. In this letter, Jefferson famously refers to “a wall of separation between
church and state” (Jefferson, 1802). This phrase became a crucial cornerstone when it came to
establishing the interpretation of the First Amendment. Jefferson’s intent was not to ban
religion from public life but to assure that the government would not establish and national
church or interfere with one’s religious expression. He echoed the First Amendment of the
Constitution, which states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (United States, 1787). This provision guarantees that
there will be freedom from governmental religious coercion and freedom for which religion an
individual chooses to practice. Scholars have debated Jefferson’s meaning, but most agree that
he was not advocating for a secular public square devoid of faith-based influence. As
constitutional scholar Driesbach (2020) notes, Jefferson’s metaphor was actually intended “to
protect religion from government intrusion, not to expel religion from public life” (p.2).
Similarly, Drakeman (2023) argues that while the Founders had clearly rejected the
establishment of a national church, they did not intend to exclude religious values from helping
to shape public institutions. Rather, the Founders believed that religion played a key role in
sustaining civic virtue, even if the government remained neutral on matters of sectarian belief.
There is an important distinction between separation of church and state and the
separation of God from government. The Founders generally supported the former but not the
latter of the two ideas. They wanted to avoid the errors of state-sponsored religion such as
churches like the Anglican Church in Britan, but they did not seek to eliminate God from the
3
public square. Many of the signers of both the Declaration and the Constitution were influenced
by their Christian values, even if they were not a devout follower of the faith. John Adams
famously stated, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly
inadequate to the government of any other” (as cited in Diesbach, 2020). This statement
reflects the common belief among the Founders that religion- particularly biblical morality- was
essential to the survival of liberty and order. The Bible itself supports the idea of religious
freedom. Galatians 5:1 declares, “For freedom Christ has set us free (ESV), which underscores
the dignity of personal liberty. At the same time, Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose
God is the Lord,” suggesting that nations can benefit when they acknowledge divine authority.
Berman (2024) adds that modern legal interpretations must still grapple with the Founders’
assumption that religious freedom was meant to protect individual conscience, not eliminate
religious expression from the public square. He warns that overly rigid readings of “separation”
can lead to a “flattening” of the First Amendment protections (p.12).
In conclusion, The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and Jefferson’s
Letter to the Danbury Baptists each play a vital role in articulating and protecting American
Liberty. Together, they reveal a vision of governance that values both personal freedom and
public order. Throughout these documents, you can affirm that the Founders did not want
church and state to be coinciding as it could lead to religious turmoil.
4
References:
Berman, M. (2024). Religious liberty and the Constitution: Of rules and principles, fixity and
change. University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, 26(4), 1–36.
https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/jcl/vol26/iss4/1/
Drakeman, D. L. (2023). Why do we think the framers wanted to separate church and state? In S.
Holzer (Ed.), The Palgrave handbook of religion and state Volume II (pp. 635–650). Palgrave
Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35609-4_26
Dreisbach, D. L. (2020). Thomas Jefferson and the wall of separation between church and state.
Journal of Church and State, 62(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcs/csz055
Jefferson, T. (1802). Letter to the Danbury Baptists. Library of Congress.
https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danbury.html
United States. (1776). Declaration of Independence. National Archives.
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
United States. (1787). U.S. Constitution. National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/founding-
docs/constitution-transcript
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2016). Crossway Bibles.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
