Freedom of religion has been central to the American story, well before the founding of our republic.
Roger Williams established Providence in what became Rhode Island, in 1636 after his opposition of Puritan rule over civil law triggered his expulsion from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Williams believed that everyone had the right to worship as they saw fit. He wanted to be sure of two things: that the government wouldn’t control religious activities and religious leaders wouldn’t control the government.
This was the beginning of what we now call the separation of church and state. In a first-of-its-kind move, Rhode Island’s Charter granted religious freedom to Rhode Islanders in 1663.
It’s no surprise that the First Amendment to the Constitution listed freedom of religion, along with speech, press, assembly and petitioning government, as core freedoms of our new republic more than a century later. Our Founders recognized that freedom to believe is crucial for humans to flourish and pursue their deepest callings.
Often called the Establishment Clause, the first part of the First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” It protects American citizens from having the government force a national religion on the country. At the same time, it protects the rights of individuals to believe and practice as their conscience calls them.
This is a remarkable balance – protecting individual freedom to worship and from government-imposed religion – and it’s one that other nations around the world have duplicated.
This concept of separation of church and state, tracing its origins back to Williams’ time, ensures that the institutions of the state and those of religious bodies are distinct from each other. Importantly, it didn’t remove faith from the public square. It still allows faith-based groups to be active in public life and recognizes the central role faith plays in the lives of individual Americans and our nation as a whole.
To honor the first freedoms, Americans must protect the right to practice any and all religious faiths or none at all. This is part of what it means for democracy to be a verb.
Follow the George W Bush Institute’s Democracy is a Verb series
Links to Other Content
Understanding What the Constitution Says – and Doesn’t Say – about Religious Freedom
Marginalizing Religion Undermines our Democratic Foundations
Religious Freedom Can Teach Us About Strengthening American Democracy
