15 December 1791 A.D. Bill of Rights
Ratified—Guaranteeing Religious Liberty
In 1787 a convention
in Philadelphia drafted what is usually recognized as the most extraordinary
political document of history. The Constitution of the United States created a
federal system with checks and balances on power. The world had never seen
anything like it.
Despite its
benefits, there was doubt it would be ratified by the individual states. Having
recently escaped one tyranny, the people of the United States did not want to
subject themselves to another. They feared the new constitution because, while
it specified the rights of the new government, and gave such rights as the writ
of habeas corpus, it did not list other rights that the people felt it should.
These could be inferred, but the majority of Americans felt safer having them
spelled out.
For the most part,
those who were for the federal system were for the constitution as it stood.
Those who opposed a federal system, wanted more guarantees of rights. Several
state conventions asked for such a bill. Thomas Jefferson urged that they be
given their wish. A "bill of rights is what the people are entitled to
against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just
government should refuse, or rest on inference." The U. S. Congress agreed
and by a two thirds majority passed ten amendments to the constitution, called
the Bill of Rights.
On this day,
December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified. It is significant to church
history because of its first Amendment: "Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof.." This amendment was the result of long centuries
of efforts by religious groups such as the Quakers and Baptists to obtain
religious liberty.
The first amendment
meant that the Federal government of the United States could not establish a
national church, such as was common in many other nations. Anyone could worship
as he or she pleased and the Federal government could not say "boo"
except under special circumstances.
Federal civil rights
are not obligatory for states, however. At the state level, established
churches continued to exist for some years.
Many battles have
been fought in the courts over just what this amendment means. Today, when its
words are used as an excuse to forbid children to pray in school or read a
Bible on school property, it is good to remember that in the understanding of
the generation that adopted the amendment was not that the government should
oppose religion or deny it the same rights of expression enjoyed by other
organizations, but rather that it not impose a national religion nor stop
people from engaging in their preferred form of worship. It guaranteed freedom
for worship, not freedom from religion.
Bibliography:
1. "Bill of Rights in the United States of America."
http://www.magnacartaplus.org/usa-rights/
2. Bowen, Catherine Drinker. Miracle at Philadelphia. Boston: Little Brown,
1966.
3. Hicks, John D.; Mowry, George E.; and Burke, Robert E. A History of
American Democracy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1966.
4. Holden, David. Select Seed from the Granary.#98-50. (Private
publication).
5. Schwartz, Bernard. The Great Rights of Mankind: a history of the
American Bill of Rights New York: Oxford University Press, 1977.
6. Various encyclopedia and internet articles.
Last updated June,
2007
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