Introduction
Comparing different historical documents of significant importance can provide valuable insight into the life of society from that period. Moreover, analyzing the differences in documents and featured themes can help identify society’s perception of important themes. Comparing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the U.S., and Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists provides a valuable insight into separation of government and church in the history of the U.S.
Main body
The Declaration of Independence initially presented a document that proclaimed the independence of thirteen colonies from British rule. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the document, and therefore Jefferson is acknowledged as the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence. The second draft was edited by the Second Continental Congress members and later was signed by delegates from all thirteen colonies. It is important to note that the Declaration of Independence was developed in 1776, significantly earlier than the Constitution of the U.S. While the Declaration of Independence as a document had a specific purpose, it also provided an outline for the development of the Constitution. The Declaration of Independence featured several philosophical concepts that served as a foundation for the main principles of The Constitution, such as equality, liberty, and human rights. It is important to note that the Declaration of Independence was developed significantly earlier.
Furthermore, compared to the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution also is a document created for a specific purpose. The Constitution was created to define the structure of the future government that would provide security to the thirteen colonies. Thus, The Constitution provided the foundation for government development and an outline of the main functions of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the President. Compared to The Declaration of independence, which did not specify citizens’ rights besides equality and freedom, the Constitution determined the citizens’ rights and laws that they should follow.
The theme of citizens’ rights was also discussed in Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802. The letter states that Jefferson’s position on the governmental establishment of religion is that relationships with God should be personal for everyone. Therefore, the government’s establishment of religion can potentially interfere with people’s personal relationship with God and question people’s right to freedom of opinion and thoughts. While Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists is not as important as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, it clearly explains why the establishment of religion was not mentioned in the other two documents.
The biblical worldview of government suggests that there is no authority other than God, the Bible, and the Church. However, emphasizing freedom as a core principle of The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution founded the separation of church and state. Jefferson’s letter mentions that the American people declared that no law should respect and establishment of religion and prohibit “the free exercise thereof” (Glass, 2019). Therefore, Jefferson’s decision was sourced in his duty to protect the people’s interests. According to Masera (2021), the confrontation between the state and religion includes the fact that both state and church have provided similar services to people for a long time. The author also suggests that the separation of God from government occurs when the government has more resources to provide service to the population than the church (Masera, 2021). Therefore, the American people declared their disagreement with the establishment of religion since they were more in need of the services of the state.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this paper determined the core differences between three important historical documents of the history of the U.S. and defined the core philosophical principles that served as the foundation for the U.S. government. The paper also explained the sources of separation of God and government in the U.S. Thus, the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution performed their duty to represent the people’s will and accept the separation of church and state.
References
Glass, A. (2019). Jefferson signs ‘Danbury Letter,’ Jan. 1, 1802. Politico.
Masera, F. (2021). State, religiosity, and church participation. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 186, 269–287.