Where did the phrase wall of separation come from?
The “wall of separation” is the famous and contentious metaphor invoked by President Thomas Jefferson in his reply to a letter from the Baptists of Danbury, Conn. Like their colleagues in Massachusetts, the Connecticut Baptists were a minority in a state dominated by the Congregational Church.
Who came up with the phrase wall of separation between church and state and why?
Then in 1802, Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, wrote: “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building …
Why was separation of church and state created?
The phrase “separation of church and state” was initially coined by Baptists striving for religious toleration in Virginia, whose official state religion was then Anglican (Episcopalian). Baptists thought government limitations against religion illegitimate. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson championed their cause.
Did the founding fathers believe in separation of church and state?
“The words ‘separation of church and state’ are not in the Constitution… … “And, our framers did not did not believe in a union between church and state.”
What did Jefferson mean by wall of separation between church and state?
Jefferson explained his understanding of the First Amendment’s religion clauses as reflecting the view of “the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall between church and State …
Why did Thomas Jefferson wrote the letter to the Danbury Baptists?
The Danbury Baptist Association of Danbury, Connecticut sent a letter, dated October 7, 1801, to the newly elected President Thomas Jefferson, expressing concern over the lack in their state constitution of explicit protection of religious liberty, and against a government establishment of religion.
Why did Jefferson believe that there needed to be a separation of church and state in the newly formed United States?
Jefferson was attempting to explain the intent of the First Amendment as making sure government could not interfere with an individual’s right of conscience or make a person support a church with which he did not agree.