National Archives
archives.gov › founding-docs › bill-of-rights-transcript
The Bill of Rights: A Transcription | National Archives
August 7, 2025 - Note: The following text is a transcription of the enrolled original of the Joint Resolution of Congress proposing the Bill of Rights, which is on permanent display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum. The spelling and punctuation reflects the original. On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution. The 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress proposing the amendments is on display in the Rotunda in the National Archives Museum. Ten of the proposed 12 amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791.
1805 amendment limiting government restriction of civil rights
Factsheet
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
First Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia
January 29, 2026 - Congress approved and submitted to the states for their ratification twelve articles of amendment on September 25, 1789. The revised text of the third article became the First Amendment, because the last ten articles of the submitted 12 articles were ratified by the requisite number of states on December 15, 1791, and are now known collectively as the Bill of Rights.
Southern Methodist University
people.smu.edu › religionandfoundingusa › us-constitution-and-first-amendment
Religion and the Founding of the United States » US Constitution and First Amendment
Congress ultimately adopted ten amendments to the original Constitution, which are now known as the Bill of Rights. The two documents, the original Constitution and the Bill of Rights, are generally grouped together as founding documents, though they were composed, debated, and adopted by different ...
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Establishment_Clause
Establishment Clause - Wikipedia
2 days ago - The statute disestablished the ... and Jews as well as members of all Protestant denominations. The First Amendment is part of a group of 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution known as the Bill of Rights....
Congress.gov
constitution.congress.gov › constitution › amendment-1
U.S. Constitution - First Amendment | Resources | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
FindLaw
constitution.findlaw.com › u.s. constitution › the first amendment freedoms of speech, religion, and the press
The First Amendment Freedoms of Speech, Religion, and the Press - FindLaw
July 26, 2024 - Adopted in 1791, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects many of the civil rights and civil liberties associated with life in the United States of America, including: ... The First Amendment and nine others added to the Constitution at the same time became known as the Bill of Rights.
LOC
loc.gov › exhibits › religion › rel06.html
Religion and the Federal Government, Part 1 - Religion and the Founding of the American Republic | Exhibitions (Library of Congress)
The Virginia Ratifying Convention and Madison's constituents, among whom were large numbers of Baptists who wanted freedom of religion secured, expected him to push for a bill of rights. On September 28, 1789, both houses of Congress voted to send twelve amendments to the states.
GovInfo
govinfo.gov › content › pkg › GPO-CONAN-1992 › pdf › GPO-CONAN-1992-10-2.pdf pdf
1st Amendment U.S. Constitution--Religion and Expression
2 B. SCHWARTZ (ED.), THE BILL OF RIGHTS: A DOCUMENTARY HISTORY 1153 (1971). It was at this point that the religion clauses were joined with the freedom of expres- ... AMENDMENT 1—RELIGION, FREE SPEECH, ETC.
LawForSeniors.org
lawforseniors.org › home › lifelong legal learning › freedom of religion under the first amendment
Freedom of Religion Under the First Amendment
May 3, 2019 - The first ten amendments – one of which (the First Amendment) is the topic of this article – were enacted two years later, in 1791. These first ten amendments are known as the “Bill of Rights” because they were intended to secure individual ...
Constitution Center
constitutioncenter.org › the-constitution › amendments › amendment-i
The 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
Passed by Congress September 25, 1789. Ratified December 15, 1791. The first 10 amendments form the Bill of Rights
Congress.gov
constitution.congress.gov › browse › amendment-1
First Amendment | Browse | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Amdt1.1Overview of First Amendment, Fundamental Freedoms
Chalcedon Foundation
chalcedon.edu › home › resources › madison, denominations and the first amendment
Madison, Denominations and the First Amendment
March 27, 2017 - Madison had observed that state-supported churches could create "a dangerous abuse of power."10 In his opinion "religion, or the duty which we owe to the creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence."11 The first Ten Amendments to the Federal Constitution became the national Bill of Rights, and were designed to place limits upon the powers of the Federal government regarding the particular issues each amendment addressed. Whether or not individual states retained or enacted state churches was a matter that was to be left completely up to them.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Christian_amendment
Christian amendment - Wikipedia
October 29, 2025 - In June 2017, Samoa became a Christian state after Parliament passed a bill to amend its constitution; Article 1 of the Samoan Constitution states that "Samoa is a Christian nation founded on God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit". In February 1863, during the American Civil War, a coalition of eleven Protestant denominations from seven northern states gathered to discuss the state of the nation.
Bill of Rights Institute
billofrightsinstitute.org › primary-sources › bill-of-rights
Bill of Rights | What is the Bill of Rights | Amendments to the Constitution | National Leader in Civic Education Resources | Bill of Rights Institute
It was strongly influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason as well as English documents such as the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, the English Bill of Rights, and the Massachusetts Body of Liberties. ... The first ten amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights.
New Oxford Review
newoxfordreview.org › the-bill-of-rights-and-christian-culture
The Bill of Rights and Christian Culture | New Oxford Review
December 18, 2025 - December 15, 1791, stands as a quiet hinge of history, since on that day the ratification of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution achieved final assent through Virginia’s approval, thereby giving formal civic expression to an idea whose roots run far deeper than Philadelphia, deeper than Enlightenment salons, and deeper even than […]
Reddit
reddit.com › r/legaladviceofftopic › is there any argument to be made that the us was founded as a christian nation?
r/legaladviceofftopic on Reddit: Is there any argument to be made that the US was founded as a Christian nation?
October 30, 2023 -
Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson has made it clear that his religion is a very important part of his life. Johnson has made it very clear that his faith "informs everything [he] does" and has even stated his belief that the United States is not a democracy. Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/role-speaker-mike-johnsons-religious-views-play-politics/story?id=104366347
Therefore question is: Is there any legal argument that can be made in regards to the nation being founded on exclusively Christian values? Could the Establishment Clause be overturned through a Supreme Court court case of some kind?
Edit: More accurately quoted the article.
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The founders added the following paragraph to the Constitution to help us clarify this exact issue: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. We are a secular country in every legal sense.
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It’ll be a hard argument, but that won’t stop them from doing it anyway. The Treaty of Tripoli was unanimously ratified in 1796, and states: As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen (Muslims); and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan (Mohammedan) nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries. Additionally, neither “Christ” nor “Christian” is mentioned anywhere in the founding documents, nor are the Ten Commandments illegal (besides those that exist in every civilization for thousands of years before the Bible), and furthermore any attempt to make them so would be clearly unconstitutional, leads any reasonable person to conclude the US government is not a vehicle to enforce Christian laws, nor is common law based on the Bible. We are arguably a nation of Christians, by majority, but not a Christian nation.
Congress.gov
constitution.congress.gov › browse › essay › amdt1-2-1 › ALDE_00013267
Overview of the Religion Clauses (Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses) | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
Finally, two essays explore the relationship between the two Religion Clauses,15Footnote Amdt1.5 Relationship Between the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses. as well as the relationship between the Religion Clauses and the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause.16Footnote Amdt1.6 Relationship Between Religion Clauses and Free Speech Clause.
Americanfoundingprinciples
americanfoundingprinciples.com › home › religious freedom
Religious Freedom - American Founding Principles
January 26, 2013 - For those who do not find this conclusive they need to keep an open mind and research the mountain of evidence that further indicates Christianity was the common denominator among most American citizens throughout the founding era. Likewise, it is no coincidence that the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses are the first two clauses of the 1st Amendment out of the ten amendments that make up the Bill of Rights.
Cornell Law School
law.cornell.edu › lii › wex › first amendment
First Amendment | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute
Furthermore, the Court has interpreted the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as protecting the rights in the First Amendment from interference by state governments. Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The Establishment Clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Freedom_of_religion_in_the_United_States
Freedom of religion in the United States - Wikipedia
2 days ago - The Court stated that "Laws are made for the government of actions, and while they cannot interfere with mere religious belief and opinions, they may with practices." For example, if one were part of a religion that believed in vampirism, the First Amendment would protect one's belief in vampirism, but not the practice. The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the religious civil rights.