The First Amendment was a subject of many debates before it was even ratified. Almost every State convention offered a version of an amendment concerned with providing some religious liberty, but they were worded very differently. Often the words "establishment," "protection," and "favor" appear in these proposed amendments¹. After much debate, the House of Representatives decide to go with Madison’s wording. His version seems to accomplish two things. First, it prevents the establishment of a national church, second; it protects individual religious freedom from the Federal government². The First Amendment does not, however, prohibit in any way an individual State from adopting, supporting, or establishing a religion. This seems in kind with the tone of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution, both of which were very concerned with the protection of State’s Rights.

Thomas Jefferson said, in 1808: " Certainly no power to prescribe any religious exercise… has been granted to the general [federal] government³." This theme is reiterated throughout many of his writings. Jefferson believed in a "Wall of Separation" between the church and state. He asserts that "Almighty God hath created the mind free"⁴, and as such, the state should have no part, either pro or con, in the religious lives of the citizens. As has been shown throughout history, this theme is not one that is terribly popular, nor one that has been acted upon with any great fervency. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the analogue of the First Amendment in Virginia law, makes clear many of the debates that plague the First Amendment⁵. Thomas Jefferson worded this statute in the way that he had hoped that the First Amendment would be interpreted.

In Athens during the antebellum period, the religious landscape was rapidly changing. Whereas before the majority of people had belonged to the Anglican Church, there were many new churches becoming popular in the area. The first of these was the Presbyterian Church. Many of the original founders of the town, and the University, were Presbyterians. During the years to come, however, other churches became increasingly important. As evangelical Christianity started to take hold, the Baptist Church and the Methodist church grew to more and more prominent stature in the area. The appointment of James Camak to the post of President of the University Georgia served as a catalyst for the Baptists to raise objections, since Camak, and most of the other officials of the University, were Presbyterians in an area with growing Baptist influence⁶. Camak was an important figure in the Athens area at the time, president of the Athens Lyceum⁷, as well as being president of the Clarke County Agricultural Society⁸.

Religious intervention in State affairs was not merely a phenomenon of the "Bible Belt", however. In New England in the antebellum period, laws ranging in scope from the fairly small and innocuous to pres que Anglican Establishment are found on the books. For the most part, the laws of this time period are written to protect one Christian group from another, with no consideration for any other religious groups. In Connecticut, Baptists often had to go to other states to worship⁹. Some of the most ardent New Englanders were labeled as "theocrats", bent on building a state, fully supportive of and supported by the church.

One of the most apparent and lasting examples of church intervention in State affairs is the "Blue Laws". Passed in several states throughout the North and South, these laws prohibit various activities on Sundays. In Georgia in 1777¹⁰, a law was passed forbidding the sale of alcohol on Sundays¹¹. These laws, many of which are still on the books today, provide concrete evidence that the church played a significant role in the politics of the country. Up until the end of the 19^th century, it was not uncommon for people to be arrested for violation of Blue Laws. As time has passed, many of these laws have been repealed, however, some remain as a tribute to this period in American history.

This theme of religious intervention in New England was a startling phenomenon, especially because pilgrims fleeing religious discrimination formed many of the New England colonies. The settlers who came over on The Mayflower, for instance, were Puritans fleeing persecution by the Anglican Church. It soon became apparent that the pilgrims were not any more tolerant of religious dissent than the established churches they had fled from. From a very early time in America’s history, established churches, with great local and regional influence, were the norm¹². Phenomena like the Salem Witch Trials, and later in American history, the Scopes Monkey Trial, are solid evidence that the church not only played a role in politics, but dominated many aspects of political life up to and well after the Civil War.

It was not only individuals, but also churches, church organizations, National Councils, and General Assemblies that profoundly affected public policy. Often, members of these organizations would call on those who did not drink to join temperance societies. "We invite and earnestly, all temperate men, who touch not, who taste not, who handle not… to give us practical weight in society"¹³. These societies were common, not only in Georgia, but also throughout the United States. The Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church both lend themselves to, and are in fact partially defined by, greater organization than single parishes, however the Baptists do not. Nonetheless, in 1845, in Augusta, Georgia, the Southern Baptist Convention was born¹⁴. One of its most important purposes was to codify what the Southern Baptists believe. A secondary purpose, however, was to bring those Baptists together in action.

Since the beginning of American politics, religion has played a vitally important role. God is mentioned in the opening paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution states that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States¹⁵". The First Amendment and The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom both deal with religion as it both affects and is affected by religion, and both try to keep the Church and the State separate. However, through the course of American politics, this has not always been the case. It is easy to find evidence of religious interference in the political sphere, from the "Blue Laws" of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, through Temperance and Prohibition movements, even until today as this debate still rages on. It is obvious, however, that religion played an important part in the politics of Antebellum America.

1. Robert L. Cord. Separation of Church and State. Summer House Press, Cambridge MA. 1982. 6-8

2. Gerard V. Bradley. Church State Relationships in America. Greenwood Press, Westport CN. 1987. 25.

3. Cord, 14. Quote from Thomas Jefferson.

4. Thomas Jefferson. As quoted in: Thomas F Buckley. "After Disestablishment: Thomas Jefferson’s Wall of Separation in Antebellum Virginia." Journal of Southern History, Vol. 61, No. 3. (Aug., 1995). p. 446.

5. Buckley, 446.

6. Michael Gagnon. Interview by author. 3/12/03.

7."The Lyceum". Southern Banner. 3/29/1834, p. 3, Col. 2.

8. "Agricultural Meeting". Southern Banner, 7/17/1845, p. 3, Col. 23.

9. Cord.15.

10. "The Blue Law Flu". Available from http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/bball2.htm.

11. GA Code 3-3-20

12. Cord 3.

13. "Communicated". Athenian. 6/22/1830, p. 2, Col. 4.

14. "About Us – Meet Southern Baptists". Available from www.sbc.net/aboutus/default.htm

15. United States Constitution. Available at http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.overview.html

J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies

Church-State Relations at Ad.com

Lutheran Journal of Ethics - Church-State Relations

A look from the other side, from the 1966 Lutheran Convention.