Thomas Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists
A Controversy Rejoined
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3702142 |
|---|---|
| Authors | J Hutson (0000-0002-0578-6052, corresponding author), James H Hutson, Thomas Jefferson |
| Year | 1999 |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 775 |
| Publication date | 1999-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The William and Mary Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0043-5597 • E-ISSN: 1933-7698 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/2674235 |
| OpenAlex | W2316336427 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
HOMAS Jefferson's letter to Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut, January I, 1802, contains phrase that has become almost household expression in present-day United States: a of separation between church and state. In his letter to Danbury Baptists, Jefferson linked this phrase to religion clause of First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting free exercise thereof. By juxtaposing of separation metaphor and Establishment Clause, Jefferson seemed to indicate that First Amendment was intended to do more than merely prevent federal government from favoring one religious denomination over another; rather, he seemed to suggest that its purpose was to cordon off government from religion and to block any meaningful interaction between two. So, at least, Supreme Court surmised in i940s, using authority of Jefferson's metaphor to rule in certain memorable cases that high and impregnable wall must be erected between religion and government, strictly separating two.1 Although later justices attacked rulings of the great age of forties and Court itself has modified them somewhat, they continue to undergird church-state jurisprudence in United States and are aggressively supported by many Americans.2 Other Americans, however, have argued that Court erred in employing Jefferson's metaphor to explain Establishment Clause, asking how dictum delivered thirteen years after composition of First Amendment by person who was in France at time it was written can provide an authoritative interpretation of language at issue. These critics believe that, far from erecting barrier between government and religion, First Amendment permits government to patronize religion (in ways
American Constitutional Law and Politics · History · Law, Rights, and Freedoms · Legal Systems and Judicial Processes
| Citations per year | 0.16 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2007 - 2014 (8) |
| Highly cited | No |