Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State

294 Pages·2002·3.906 MB·English

by  Daniel Dreisbach

Thomas Jefferson
and the Wall of Separation
between Church and State

Thomas Jefferson
and the
Wall of Separation
between
Church and State
Daniel L. Dreisbach
a
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York and London
© 2002 by New York University
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Dreisbach, Daniel L.
Thomas Jefferson and the wall of separation between church and state /
Daniel L. Dreisbach.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8147-1935-X (acid-free paper)
1. Jefferson, Thomas, 1743–1826—Views on church and state.
2. Jefferson, Thomas, 1743–1826—Correspondence. 3. Danbury
Baptist Association. 4. Jefferson, Thomas, 1743–1826—Literary art.
5. Metaphor—Political aspects—United States—History—18th century.
6. Church and state—United States—History—18th century. 7. Religion
and politics—United States—History—18th century. I. Title. II. Series.
E332.2 .D74 2002
973.4'6'092—dc21 2002003333
New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper,
and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability.
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Joyce

A patient pursuit of facts, and cautious combination
and comparison of them, is the drudgery to which
man is subjected by his Maker, if he wishes to attain
sure knowledge.
—Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia

Contents
1 Introduction: The Creation of an American Metaphor 1
2 The President, a Mammoth Cheese, and the “Wall of
Separation”: Jeffersonian Politics and the New
England Baptists 9
3 “Sowing Useful Truths and Principles”:
ThomasJeffersonandtheDanburyBaptistAssociation 25
4 “What the Wall Separates”: A Jurisdictional
Interpretation of the “Wall of Separation” 55
5 Early References to a “Wall of Separation”:
Prefiguring the Jeffersonian Metaphor 71
6 Creating “Effectual Barriers”: Alternative Metaphors
in Defense of Religious Liberty 83
7 “Useful Truths and Principles . . . Germinate and
Become Rooted” in the American Mind: Jefferson’s
Metaphor Enters Political and Juridical Discourse 95
8 Conclusion: The Re-Creation of Church-State Law,
Policy, and Discourse 107
Appendices: Documents from the Papers of
Thomas Jefferson 129
1 Proclamation Appointing a Day of Fasting,
Humiliation, and Prayer, May 1774 131
2 Address to the Inhabitants of the Parish of
St. Anne, 1774 132
ix