The Role of God in the Founding of the United States
The United States has long been associated with religious principles, and the presence of God in its national identity can be traced back to the country’s founding. The early European settlers who arrived in North America, such as the Puritans, sought religious freedom and saw their new homeland as a divine mission. The Founding Fathers, despite holding diverse personal beliefs—ranging from devout Christians to deists—incorporated religious ideals into the nation’s foundational documents.
The Declaration of Independence (1776), for instance, states that all men are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” signifying the belief that human rights are granted by a higher power rather than by governments. However, the U.S. Constitution (1787) deliberately avoids direct references to God, reflecting the Founders’ desire to create a secular government that protects religious freedom. This tension between religious faith and secular governance has shaped American society ever since. The concept of separation of church and state, famously derived from Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists, ensures that the government neither establishes a state religion nor prohibits the free exercise of religious beliefs. Despite this legal framework, religious influence has remained pervasive in American culture and politics, fueling debates about the nation’s identity and the extent to which faith should play a role in governance.
