Church and State in America: The First Two CenturiesThis is an account of the ideas about and public policies relating to the relationship between government and religion from the settlement of Virginia in 1607 to the presidency of Andrew Jackson, 1829–37. This book describes the impact and the relationship of various events, legislative, and judicial actions, including the English Toleration Act of 1689, the First and Second Great Awakenings, the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, and Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists. Four principles were paramount in the American approach to government's relation to religion: the importance of religion to public welfare; the resulting desirability of government support of religion (within the limitations of political culture); liberty of conscience and voluntaryism; the requirement that religion be supported by free will offerings, not taxation. Hutson analyzes and describes the development and interplay of these principles, and considers the relevance of the concept of the separation of church and state during this period. |
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Amendment American Revolution Anabaptists Anglican Antifederalists Article assembly asserted assessment authority Awakening became believed Bible Bill of Rights British Calvert Catholic century Charles charter Christianity Church of England church–state relations citizens civil claimed clause Congregational Congress Connecticut Constitution Court Danbury declared denominations dissenters doctrine English English Civil War established church establishment of religion evangelical federal Federalists free exercise gion gious Glorious Revolution governor groups historians House Isaac Backus issue James jealousy Jefferson Jersey John Justice leaders liberty of conscience Madison Maryland Massachusetts Massachusetts Constitution ment ministers national government North America officials opponents Penn Pennsylvania persecution political preached preachers Presbyterians promote proprietors Protestant Puritan Quakers reli religious establishments religious liberty religious taxes republican revivals rewards and punishments Rhode Island royal scholars sects Separate Baptists separation of church settlers society South Carolina spiritual state’s support of religion taxation tion Toleration Act Virginia William William Penn worship wrote