Abstract
The founding documents played a significant role in structuring the American Government to what it is today. The applicability of the contents found in the paper promotes justice and fairness in the American Democracy. The notable ones include the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, which, play a significant role in the government. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers, brought into play the separation of the church from state, which marks one of the significant hallmarks of American democracy. He spearheaded the separation of the two entities in a bid to protect the liberties of all individuals whether believers or non-believers. Through his letter to the Danbury Baptists, he addresses the importance of the separation between religion and government. The paper aims to explore founding documents and their contribution to the separation and the independence of the church and the state.
Keywords: Declaration of Independence, Constitution.
Introduction
The Constitution through the Bill of Rights provides a clear-cut explanation on religious liberty. Jefferson, in particular, interpreted the First Amendment to the Constitution as a separation between the church and the State. In the Declaration of Independence as explained by Cogliano (2006), Jefferson held an affirmative position of men being equal and capable of governing themselves while remaining uninfluenced by religious indoctrination in governance. The Declaration of Independence focuses on the beginnings of Jefferson’s thinking with it as a founding for the American regime. The Declaration as explained by Gerber (1995) is the final document pending that it speaks fully to the United States as a nation and is the philosophy of the American government. Thomas Jefferson in collaboration with other authors came up with the motive of being Independence.
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With the attainment of Independence the first document was established, it played a role in influencing the Constitution. The primary goal of the law as explained by Gerber (1995) is to provide the institutional means to secure the rights and statements in the Declaration. Meaning the Declaration is crucial in that the constitution through the preamble echoes the very substance of the Declaration, without it, formulation of the law would be impossible. Ignoring the preamble is similar to disregarding the ideals of the Constitution.
Jefferson’s interest in separating the Church from the State stems from a desire to safeguard the liberties of the American people in that an individual is not obliged to support a particular religious orientation. Regarding rights about freedom of religion, the constitution was more concrete through the first amendment. However, the Declaration of Independence directly focused on people’s rights, and freedom. Regardless, there is a sense of ambiguity attached to it, as the very definition of religious practice is difficult to explain clearly.
In striving to have a difference between the Church and State, Jefferson’s letter was there to provide an explanation between the two entities in a way that pays homage to the respect of other people’ rights. In the letter, he mentions the need for separation as a form of him recognizing the needs of his constituents asserting that religion is a personal matter. He goes to explain religion as a personal relationship between an individual and his God with faith being a personal journey every person is entitled to, (Jefferson, 1802). From a religious perspective particularly Christianity, this is similar to infringement of religious rights following that the premise of the religion advocates for the spreading of the good news. The notion of sharing one’s faith bears criticism as it presents the likelihood of imposing beliefs on others.
The cornerstone of American democracy has strong foundations on separating the Church and the State. As explained by Green (2014), the Supreme Court employed the separation of the two entities to provide an elaborate understanding of the first amendment right to religion. With ambiguity still in existence concerning the establishment and free exercise clause, there is not a general agreement on what the principle of practice in religion entails.
The separation of Church and State does not necessarily rest on the separation of the government from God. This is because the government recognizes the existence of an entity greater. For example, the dollar bill has the slogan, “In God we Trust” meaning the separation between the two entities is simply to avoid bias with the government seeming to be for one religion over the other. The rationale behind this is also to encourage and protect the independence of religious institutions such as preventing the courts from interfering with their internal feuds, (Green, 2014).
The ultimate role of the constitution is to protect the rights of every citizen despite their religious orientation. Jefferson together with the other founding fathers worked at promoting a sense of fairness and strengthening the democracy, which forms the basis of the American government. American citizens can rest without fear of indoctrination or ostracization based on their religious orientations.
References
Cogliano, Francis. (2006). Thomas Jefferson: Reputation and Legacy. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Gerger, Douglas, Scott. (1995). To Secure These Rights: The Declaration of Independence and Constitutional Interpretation . New York: New York University Press.
Green, Steven. (2014) The Separation of Church and State in the United States: Center for Religion, Law and Democracy . Web Retrieved from www.americanhistoryofordre.com
Jefferson. (1802). Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists: Library of Congress. Web Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/
