How Religious Were the Founders?

We the People

National Constitution Center

History, News Commentary, News

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 December 2024

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jeffrey Rosen discusses the role of religion at the founding with Jane Calvert of the John Dickinson Writings Project, Vincent Phillip Muñoz of the University of Notre Dame, and Thomas Kidd of the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. They trace the framers’ personal faith commitments and explore the original understanding of the relationship between church and state. This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall program series on November 25, 2024. Resources: The First Amendment, National Constitution Center exhibit Jane E. Calvert, Penman of the Founding: A Biography of John Dickinson (2024) Thomas Kidd, Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh (2022) Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Religious Liberty and the American Founding: Natural Rights and the Original Meanings of the First Amendment Religion Clauses (2022) Thomas Kidd, God of Liberty: A Religious History of the American Revolution (2010) Vincent Phillip Muñoz , God and the Founders: Madison, Washington, and Jefferson (2009) Letter From George Washington to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, (Aug. 18, 1790) Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected] Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr. Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen. Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube. Support our important work. Donate

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, friends. I'm Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center,
0:07.7	and welcome to We the People, a weekly show of constitutional debate.
0:11.6	The National Constitution Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit, chartered by Congress,
0:16.3	to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.
0:22.0	In this episode, we explore how the founding generation understood the role of religion in public life, and we examine
0:27.0	the original understanding of the free exercise and establishment clauses. Joining us is a dream
0:32.2	team of religious liberty scholars. Jane Calvert is director and chief editor of the John
0:37.3	Dickinson Writing Project,
0:39.0	an author of Penman of the Founding, a biography of John Dickinson. Vincent Philip
0:44.1	Munoz is the Tochville Associate Professor of Religion in Public Life at the University of Notre Dame,
0:49.6	an author of Religious Liberty and the American Founding, Natural Rights and the Original
0:53.9	Means of the First Amendment Religion Clause. And Thomas Kidd is of religious liberty and the American founding, natural rights and the original meanings
0:54.3	of the First Amendment religion clauses.
0:57.3	And Thomas Kidd is the John and Sharon Yates
0:59.9	endowed chair of Baptist Studies
1:01.7	at the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
1:05.1	He's also author of God of Liberty,
1:07.3	A Religious History of the American Revolution.
1:10.6	Enjoy the show. Thank you so much for
1:13.6	joining Jane Calvert, Thomas Kidd, and Philip Munoz, Thomas Kidd. Let me begin with you
1:21.2	because of the scope of your book, God of Liberty, a religious history of the American Revolution, you've written
1:28.9	about the individual religious views of Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, among others,
	...

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