American History

Open Reference Folder

This has date of last change

Sumpter History

     

Return to

howieandmyra Index

The first amendment to the constitution guaranties us the freedom of religion, not the exclusion from religion. There are many people in this country that would like you to forget that this country was founded on Christian principles. There are others who would have you believe that the God that our forefathers referred to was some generic god. The following quotes, from our founding fathers and other influential people, are part of the history of this nation. They were people that realized how important it is to have a personal relationship with our God and Creator.

 

  NOTICE: References have been added. They are done as a Word document just to make it easier for me to edit and update. If you have trouble with them contact me at howie@howieandmyra.com and I would be glad to provide the information for you in a different format.

John Adams

10/30/1735 – 7/4/1826

2nd President

1st Vice-president

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

 

(Reference)

1. “We recognize no Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” (He and John Hancock gave this response to a British major who ordered them and those with them to disperse in the name of George the sovereign King of England on April 18 1775.)

2. "Before I end my letter, I pray Heaven to bestow the best of Blessings on this House and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise Men ever rule under this roof." (letter to his wife, Abigail, November 2,1800, on his second day of residence in the damp, unfinished White House.)

3. "Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." (1798 speech to the first brigade of the militia of Massachusetts)

4. The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God. (Excerpt from a letter written to Thomas Jefferson June 28, 1813)

5. The Holy Ghost carries on the whole Christian system in this earth. Not a baptism, not a marriage, not a sacrament can be administered but by the Holy Ghost. . . . There is no authority, civil or religious – there can be no legitimate government but what is administered by this Holy Ghost. There can be no salvation without it. All without it is rebellion and perdition, or in more orthodox words damnation. (Excerpt from a letter written to Benjamin Rush December 21, 1809)

 

John Quincy Adams

7/11/1767 - 2/23/1848

6th President

Senator, Representative

Secretary of State

 

(Reference)

 

1. The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the Divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made “bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God” [Isaiah 52:10]. (Life of John Quincy Adams, W. H. Seward, editor (Auburn, NY: Derby, Miller & Company, 1849), p. 248)

2. In the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior. The Declaration of Independence laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity. (Speech given on the 61st anniversary on the declaration of independace July 4, 1837 in the town of Newburyport.)

 

 

Samuel Adams

9/22/1722 – 10/2/1803

Governor of Massachusetts

Father of the American Revolution

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

 

(Reference)

1. I . . . recommend my Soul to that Almighty Being who gave it, and my body I commit to the dust, relying upon the merits of Jesus Christ for a pardon of all my sins. (a portion of his will)

Dr. Josiah Bartlett

11/21/1729 – 5/19/1795

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Military Officer

Judge, Governor of NH

 

(Reference)

1. Called on the people of New Hampshire . . . to confess before God their aggravated transgressions and to implore His pardon and forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ . . . that the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be made known to all nations, pure and undefiled religion universally prevail, and the earth be fill with the glory of the Lord. (Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer, March 17, 1792.)

Elias Boudinot

5/2/1740 - 10/24/1821

4th President of Congress

Signed the peace treaty to end the Revolutionary War

First Attorney admitted to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.

Framer of the Bill of Rights

 

(Reference)

1. Let us enter on this important business under the idea that we are Christians on whom the eyes of the world are now turned… [L]et us earnestly call and beseech Him, for Christ’s sake, to preside in our councils. . . . We can only depend on the all powerful influence of the Spirit of God, Whose Divine aid and assistance it becomes us as a Christian people most devoutly to implore. Therefore I move that some minister of the Gospel be requested to attend this Congress every morning . . . in order to open the meeting with prayer. (speech in the First Provincial Congress of New Jersey.)

 

Charles Carroll

9/19/1737 – 11/14/1832

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, and only Roman Catholic to sign.

U. S. Senator from Maryland.

 

(Reference)

1. On the mercy of my Redeemer I rely for salvation and on His merits; not on the works I have done in obedience to His precepts, for even these, I fear a fallacy. (From an autographed letter from Charles Carroll to Charles W. Wharton, Esq., on September 27, 1825)

John Dickinson

11/2/1732 – 2/14/1808

Signer of the Constitution

Militia officer in the Revolutionary War

Congressman from Delaware, and Pennsylvania 

(Reference)

1. Rendering thanks to my Creator for my existence and station among His works, for my birth in a country enlightened by the Gospel and enjoying freedom, and for all His other kindnesses, to Him I resign myself, humbly confiding in His goodness and in His mercy through Jesus Christ for the events of eternity. (Will of John Dickinson)

Benjamin Franklin

1/17/1706 –4/17/1790

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Scientist, Inventor, Statesman, Printer, Philosopher, Musician, Economist.

 

(Reference)

1.  I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men.  And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings that 'except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this. I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel....Therefore, I beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this assembly every morning (When it looked like there could be no agreement the 81 year old statesman addressed the Constitutional Convention of 1787) (Bible quote: Psalms 127: 1)

 

2. He proposed that each session of congress begin with prayer.

 

3."That there is one God, Father of the universe. That He is infinitely good, powerful and wise. That He is omnipresent. That He ought to be worshipped, by adoration prayer and thanksgiving both in public and private." ( In 1731 he articulated a creed to live by, both personally and in public life: )

John Hancock

1/12/1737 – 10/8/1793

Signer of the Declaration of Independence 

(Reference)

 

1. “We recognize no Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” (He and John Adams gave this response to a British major who ordered them and those with them to disperse in the name of George the sovereign King of England on April 18 1775.)

2. "In circumstances as dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments, …at the same time all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only on that God rules in the armies of Heaven, and without His whole blessing, the best human counsels are but foolishness… Resolved; …Thursday the 11th of May…to humble themselves before God under the heavy judgments felt and feared, to confess the sins that have deserved them, to implore the Forgiveness of all our transgressions, and a spirit of repentance and reformation …and a Blessing on the … Union of the American Colonies in Defense of their Rights [for which hitherto we desire to thank Almighty God]…That the people of Great Britain and their rulers may have their eyes opened to discern the things that shall make for the peace of the nation…for the redress of America’s many grievances, the restoration of all her invaded liberties, and their security to the latest generations." (A Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, with a total abstinence from labor and recreation. Proclamation on April 15, 1775)

Patrick Henry

5/29/1736 - 6/6/1799

Instrumental in the adoption of the Bill of Rights

Governor of Virginia

 

(Reference)

1.  “It cannot be emphasized too clearly and too often that this nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason, peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.” (a Speech to the House of Burgesses in May 1765)

 

2. "An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle sir, is not of the strong alone. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" (a Speech to the House of Burgesses in March 23, 1775)

 

3. This is all the inheritance I can give to my dear family. The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed. (Will of Patrick Henry)

 

4. The great pillars of all government and of social life [are] virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone, that renders us invincible. (Letter to Archibald Blair on January 8, 1799.)

John Jay

12/12/1745 - 5/17/1829

1st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

President of the Westchester Bible Society in 1818

President of the American Bible Society in 1821

 

(Reference)

1. " Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." (October 12, 1816)

Thomas Jefferson

4/13/1743 – 7/4/1826

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

3rd President

 

(Reference)

 

1. “It [the Bible] is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus." (wrote this in a letter to Charles Thomson Jan 9, 1816.)

2. Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people, the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer of the Nation Washington D.C. March 4,1801)

Francis Scott Key

8/1/1779 - 1/11/1843

U.S. Attorney for D.C.

Author of

the Star Spangled Banner

 

(Reference)

1. May I always hear that you are following the guidance of that blessed Spirit that will lead you into all truth, leaning on that Almighty arm that has been extended to deliver you, trusting only in the only Savior, and going on in your way to Him rejoicing. (Letter from Francis Scott Key to John Randolph.)

 

The Star Spangled Banner  Francis Scott Key (September 14, 1814)

1.Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

2. On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'T is the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

3. And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

4. O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us as a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause, it is just,
And this be our motto: In God is our trust
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Abraham Lincoln

2/12/1809 - 4/15/1865

16th President

 

(Reference)

1."And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord." (Portion of a speech on March 30 1863, when he declared Thursday, April 30, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer.)

James Madison

3/16/1751 - 6/28/1836

4th President

 

(Reference)

1.“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” (an address to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia in 1778)

 

2.At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, he proposed the plan to divide the central government into three branches. He discovered this model of government from the bible, as he read at the convention Isaiah 33:22

    For the LORD is our judge, (Judicial)

    the LORD is our lawgiver, (Congress)

    the LORD is our king; (Executive)

    He will save us.”

 

3. In 1812, President Madison proposed a federal bill which economically aided the Bible Society of Philadelphia in its goal of the mass distribution of the Bible. “ An Act for the relief of the Bible Society of Philadelphia” Approved February 2, 1813 by Congress.

 

4. A watchful eye must be kept on ourselves lest, while we are building ideal monuments of renown and bliss here, we neglect to have our names enrolled in the Annals of Heaven. (Letter to William Bradford on November 9, 1772.)

James Manning

10/22/1738 - 7/29/1791

Member of the Continental Congress

President of Brown University

 

(Reference)

1. I rejoice that the religion of Jesus prevails in your parts; I can tell you the same agreeable news from this quarter. Yesterday I returned from Piscataway in East Jersey, where was held a Baptist annual meeting (I think the largest I ever saw) but much more remarkable still for the Divine influences which God was pleased to grant. Fifteen were baptized; a number during the three days professed to experience a change of heart. Christians were remarkably quickened; multitudes appeared. (Letter to Robert Carter on June 7, 1786)

 

 

Rev. Jedidiah Morse

7/23/1761 - 6/9/1826

Historian of the American Revolution

Father of American Geography

 

(Reference)

1. To the kindly influence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. All efforts made to destroy the foundations of our Holy Religion ultimately tend to the subversion also of our political freedom and happiness. In proportion as the genuine effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation… in the same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of genuine freedom… Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government – and all the blessings which flow from them – must fall with them. (A Sermon, Exhibiting the Present Dangers and Consequent Duties of the Citizens of the United States of America, Delivered at Charlestown, April 25, 1799, The Day of the National Fast)

Robert Treat Paine

3/11/1731 - 5/11/1814

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Military Chaplin

Attorney General MA 

(Reference)

1. I desire to bless and praise the name of God most high for appointing me my birth in a land of Gospel Light where the glorious tidings of a Savior and of pardon and salvation through Him have been continually sounding in mine ears. …… I believe the Bible to be the written word of God and to contain in it the whole rule of faith and manners. (Robert Treat Paine’s Confession of Faith, 1749)

 

2. I am constrained to express my adoration of the Supreme Being, the Author of my existence, in full belief of His Providential goodness and His forgiving mercy revealed to the world through Jesus Christ, through whom I hope for never ending happiness in a future state. (From his Last Will & Testament, attested May 11, 1814.)

 

Ronald Wilson Reagan

2/6/1911 - 6/5/2004

40th President

 

(Reference)

1. "To those who cite the First Amendment as reason for excluding God from more and more of our institutions and every-day life, may I just say: The First Amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people of this country from religious values; it was written to protect religious values from government tyranny.” ( address to the Alabama State Legislature on March 15, 1982)

2. “The public expression through prayer of our faith in God is a fundamental part of our American heritage and a privilege which should not be excluded by law from any American school, public or private. One hundred fifty years ago, Alexis de Tocqueville found that all Americans believed that religious faith was indispensable to the maintenance of their republican institutions. Today, I join with the people of this nation in acknowledging this basic truth, that our liberty springs from and depends upon an abiding faith in God.” (Speech on a proposed a constitutional amendment allowing prayer in schools May 17, 1982)

3. "It’s said that prayer can move mountains. Well, it’s certainly moved the hearts and minds of Americans in their times of trial and helped them to achieve a society that, for all its imperfections, is still the envy of the world and the last, best hope of mankind.” (Radio address to the nation Sept. 18, 1982)

4. “Your dreams, your hopes, your goals are going to be the dreams, the hopes, and the goals of this administration, so help me God....I am told that tens of thousands of prayer meetings are being held on this day, and for that I am deeply grateful. We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free. It would be fitting and good, I think, if on each Inauguration Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer.” (First Inaugural address, January 20,1981)

Dr. Benjamin Rush

12/24/1745 - 4/19/1813

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

The father of public schools under the constitution

The father of American medicine

The father of American psychiatry.

 

(Reference)

 

1. "Let the children who are sent to those schools be taught to read and write - - - (and a)bove all, let both sexes be carefully instructed in the principles and obligations of the Christian religion. This is the most essential part of education - -" (wrote this when he proposed his plan for public education in America on March 28, 1787.)

 

2. "It is now several months since I promised to give you my reasons for preferring the Bible as a schoolbook to all other compositions. Before I state my arguments, I shall assume the five following propositions:

  1. That Christianity is the only true and perfect religion; and that in proportion as mankind adopts its principles and obeys its precepts they will be wise and happy.

  2. That a better knowledge of this religion is to be acquired by reading the Bible than in any other way.

  3. That the Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world.

  4. That knowledge is most durable, and religious instruction most useful, when imparted in early life.

  5. That the Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of life.

My arguments in favor of the use of the Bible as a schoolbook are founded" (In 1791 he wrote a pamphlet entitled 'A Defense of the Use of the Bible as a Schoolbook'. Here is how that writing began:)

 

3. The Gospel of Jesus Christ prescribes the wisest rules for just conduct in every situation of life. Happy they who are enabled to obey them in all situations! . . . My only hope of salvation is in the infinite transcendent love of God manifested to the world by the death of His Son upon the Cross. Nothing but His blood will wash away my sins [Acts 22:16]. I rely exclusively upon it. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly! [Revelation 22:20] (The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush,  Travels Through Life, An Account of Sundry Incidents & Events in the Life of Benjamin Rush.)

 

4. I do not believe that the Constitution was the offspring of inspiration, but I am as satisfied that it is as much the work of a Divine Providence as any of the miracles recorded in the Old and New Testament. (Letter to Elias Boudinot on July 9, 1788.)

 

5. The only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government is the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible. (Essay “A Defense of the Use of the Bible as a School Book.”)

 

6. The great enemy of the salvation of man, in my opinion, never invented a more effective means of limiting Christianity from the world than by persuading mankind that it was improper to read the Bible at schools. (Letter to Jeremy Belknap on July 13, 1789.)

Roger Sherman

4/19/1721 - 7/23/1793

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Served on the committee of five that drafted the Declaration of Independence.

Only person to sign all four, original papers of the US-Articles of Association, Declaration of Independence , Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.

 

(Reference)

1. I believe that there is one only living and true God, existing in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. . . . that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are a revelation from God. . . . that God did send His own Son to become man, die in the room and stead of sinners, and thus to lay a foundation for the offer of pardon and salvation to all mankind so as all may be saved who are willing to accept the Gospel offer. (Lewis Henry Boutell, The Life of Roger Sherman)

 

2. God commands all men everywhere to repent. He also commands them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and has assured us that all who do repent and believe shall be saved… God… has absolutely promised to bestow them on all these who are willing to accept them on the terms of the Gospel – that is, in a way of free grace through the atonement. “Ask and ye shall receive [John 16:24]. Whosoever will, let him come and take of the waters of life freely [Revelation 22:17]. Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out” [John 6:37]. (letter to Samuel Hopkins, June 28, 1790.)

 

3. “The volume which he consulted more than any other was the Bible. It was his custom, at the commencement of every session of Congress, to purchase a copy of the Scriptures, to peruse it daily, and to present it to one of his children on his return.” (From The Globe (Washington DC newspaper), August 15, 1837)

Jonathan Trumbull

10/12/1710 - 8/17/1785

Governor of CT,

Judge, Legislator,

Confidant of George Washington

 

(Reference)

1. The examples of holy men teach us that we should seek Him with fasting and prayer, with penitent confession of our sins, and hope in His mercy through Jesus Christ the Great Redeemer. (Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer, March 9, 1774)

 

2. Principally and first of all, I bequeath my soul to God the Creator and giver thereof, and my body to the earth to be buried in a decent Christian burial, in firm belief that I shall receive the same again at the general resurrection through the power of Almighty God, and hope of eternal life and happiness through the merits of my dear Redeemer Jesus Christ. (Last will and testament attested on January 29, 1785)

 

George Washington

2/22/1732 – 12/14/1799

1st President

Commander in Chief of the Continental Army

 

(Reference)

1.“What students would learn in American schools above all is the religion of Jesus Christ.” (From a speech to the Delaware Indian Chiefs May 12, 1779)

 

2."I humbly beseech Thee to be merciful to me in the free pardon of my sins for the sake of Thy dear Son and only Savior Jesus Christ who came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Thou gavest Thy Son to die for me.” (From his personal prayer book dated April 21-23 1752)

 

3. "It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being, who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States…No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States… (First inauguration address 1788, Washington then took the oath as prescribed by the Constitution but added several religious components to that official ceremony. Before taking his oath of office, he summoned a Bible on which to take the oath, added the words “So help me God!” to the end of the oath, then leaned over and kissed the Bible.)

 

4. On May 17, 1776, he wrote that that day was, "...to be observed as a day of fasting humiliation and prayer, humbly to supplicate the mercy of almighty God, that it would please Him to pardon all our manifold sins and transgressions, and to prosper the arms of the united colonies, and finally establish the peace and freedom of America upon a solid and lasting foundation." (In May of 1776, fighting was well under way in the American Revolution. For General George Washington it was a stressful time. Under his command in New York he had about 7 thousand men. The rag tag army was poorly trained. They were about to face some thirty thousand soldiers from the most highly trained and successful military force in the world. The Americans were outnumbered and outgunned. As they waited in New York for the onslaught of British military power, Washington issued orders for his troops to pray for the campaign ahead.)

Noah Webster

10/16/1758 - 5/28/1843

Yale class of 1778

Teacher, Lawyer, Author, Statesman

 

(Reference)

 

1. “In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed...No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.” (He placed this in the preface of the American Dictionary of the English Language in 1828)

2. He produced his own modern English translation of the Bible in 1833. Though an excellent and highly accurate translation, Webster’s Bible was not widely accepted, due to the continued popularity of the ancient King James version.

3. "When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, just men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty, and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted." (Advice to the Young" from Value of the Bible and Excellence of the Christian Religion, 1834)

 

4. The Christian religion… is the basis, or rather the source, of all genuine freedom in government… I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of Christianity have not a controlling influence. (Letter to James Madison on October 16, 1829)

 

John Witherspoon

2/15/1723 - 11/15/1794

Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Only active clergyman to sign (Presbyterian Church of America)

Only active College President to sign (Princeton University)

 

(Reference)

 

1. I entreat you in the most earnest manner to believe in Jesus Christ, for there is no salvation in any other [Acts 4:12]. . . . If you are not reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, if you are not clothed with the spotless robe of His righteousness, you must forever perish. (The Works of John Witherspoon by John Witherspoon)

Oliver Wolcott

12/1/1726 - 12/1/1797

Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Military General

Governor of CT

 

(Reference)

 

1. God’s Providence and support through the perilous perplexing labyrinths of human life will then forever excite our astonishment and love. May a happiness be granted to those I most tenderly love, which shall continue and increase through an endless existence. Your cares and burdens must be many and great, but put your trust in that God Who has hitherto supported you and me; He will not fail to take care of those who put their trust in Him….It is most evident that this land is under the protection of the Almighty, and that we shall be saved not by our wisdom nor by our might, but by the Lord of Host Who is wonderful in counsel and Almighty in all His operations. (Letter to to Laura Wolcott on April 10, 1776)

OTHERS: (the following are all )

    Abraham Baldwin (11/22/1754 - 3/4/1807)

    Gunning Bedford (4/13/1747 - 3/30/1812)

    Jacob Broom (10/17/1752 - 4/1810)

    James Caldwell (4/1734 -11/24/1781)

    Samuel Chase (4/17/1741 - 6/19/1811)

    Wentworth Cheswell (4/11/1746 - 3/8/1817)

    Grover Cleveland (3/18/1837 - 6/24/1908)

    William Cushing (3/1/1732 - 9/13/1810)

    Gabriel Duvall (12/6/1752 - 3/6/1790)

    Elbridge Thomas Gerry (7/17/1744 - 11/23/1814)

    William Ellery (12/22/1727 - 2/15/1820)

    Alexander Hamilton (1/11/1755 - 7/12/1804)

    John Hart (11/5/1711 - 5/11/1779)

    Samuel Huntington (7/6/1731 - 1/5/1796)

    James Iredell (10/5/1751 - 10/20/1799)

    Andrew Jackson (3/15/1767 - 6/8/1845)

    Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer (1723 - 11/16/1790)

    William Samuel Johnson (10/27/1727 - 11/14/1819)

    James Kent (7/31/1763 - 12/12/1847)

    Rev. Abraham Keteltas (12/26/1732 - 9/30/1798)

    Henry Knox  (7/25/1750 - 10/10/1806)

    John Langdon (6/26/1741 - 9/18/1919)

    Henry Laurens (3/6/1724 - 12/8/1792)

    Philip Livingston (1/15/1716 - 6/12/1778)

    John Locke (8/29/1632 - 10/28/1704)

    Henry Marchant (4/9/1741 - 8/30/1796)

    George Mason IV (12/11/1725 - 11/7/1792)

    Rev. Jonathan Mayhew (10/8/1720 - 7/9/1766)

    James McHenry (11/16/1753 - 5/3/1816)

    Thomas McKean (3/19/1734 - 6/24/1817)

    Gouverneur Morris (1/31/1752 - 11/1816)

    Lewis Morris (4/8/1726 - 1/22/1798)

    John Morton (1724 - 4/1/1777)

    Rev  John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (10/1/1746 - 10/1/1807)

    James Otis Jr. (2/5/1725 - 5/23/1783)

    William Paca (10/31/1740 - 10/31/1799)

    William Paterson (12/24/1745 - 9/9/1806)

    Timothy Pickering (7/17/1745 - 1/29/1829)

    Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (2/25/1746 - 8/16/1825)

    Rufus Putnam (4/9/1738 - 5/4/1824)

    John Randolph (6/2/1773 - 5/24/1833)

    George Read (9/18/1733 - 9/21/1798  0

    James Smith (9/17/1719 - 7/11/1806)

    Richard Dobbs Spaight Sr. (3/25/1758 - 9/6/1802)

    Richard Stockton (10/1/1730 - 2/28/1781)

    Thomas Stone (1743 -10/5/1787)

    Joseph Story (9/18/1779 - 9/10/1845)

    Caleb Strong (1/9/1745 - 11/7/1819)

    Zephaniah Swift (2/27/1759 - 9/27/1823)

    William Howard Taft (9/15/1857 - 3/8/1930)

    Dr. Matthew Thornton (1714 - 6/24/1803)

    Charles Thompson (11/29/1729 - 8/16/1824)

    Daniel Webster (1/18/1782 - 10/24/1852)

    William Williams (4/18/1731 - 8/2/1811)

    James Wilson (9/14/1742 - 8/21/1798)