Comparing the Declaration of Independence, the Consititution, & Jefferson's Letter to Danbury Baptists

Comparison Paper

GOVT 200-B10

The Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists were written in a span of a few years apart in American history that had the purpose of setting a foundation for the country’s governing laws with The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, The Constitution following in 1787, then Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802.

The main theme of The Declaration of Independence was to state that all humans are created equal and no human being had the power to oppress the other in any way with the goal of breaking the American colonies free from King George’s reign. The main theme of the Constitution was to establish fundamental laws and national government as seen fit by the American people, ensuring basic human rights to its citizens. The Constitution’s basic rights assured American citizens protections including freedom of religion and speech. Thomas Jefferson’ Letter’s theme was to thank the president for supporting the separation of the church and the state. In the letter, there should still be a huge wall between the church and the state so that those that worship is allowed to do so as guided by their religious beliefs and not based on the state’s definition.

The aspect of separation between the church and the state was not well defined during the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but the document clearly recognized religious equality. American colonies condemned Great Britain for assuming they had ruling over their lives despite of being equal to them, based on God’s creation.  Years later, The Constitution defined the individuals’ right of religion implying that the government was limited in state interference in religious matters meaning the government is guided by legislative laws that are set forth by the Constitution.  The goal was a country for the people, free to worship in the manner of their choosing, the only way to allow freedom of religion is to keep government separate.   On the other hand, the church is guided by laws of God as was documented in the Bible.  It would be hard to combine the church and the state because the state would be limited in ruling and making critical decisions.  Also, a possible contribution to the separation of church and state is there was no intention of freeing slaves and considering them equal in the eyes of God to other American citizens.  Being a number of variations of Christianity and churches, it could have created a conflict when choosing the religion to follow.

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