Franklin loved George Whitefield, the Great Awakening preacher. Might it not greatly facilitate the introduction of pure religion among the heathen, if we could, by such a colony, show them a better sample of Christians than they commonly see in our Indian traders?
It was Ben Franklin, the eldest member of the committee drafting our Constitution, who chided the delegates because they had not submitted their plans for a new government to God:. Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection — our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor.
And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? 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?
I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages…. Here was probably the least religious of the Founding Fathers calling for prayer and quoting Scripture.
Some said it was the turning point of the Constitutional Convention. When you shop at smile. Thanks to the generous "smile. Usually, the first Tuesday of November is election day for federal offices and often is used by states and local governments also Read more…. The degree to which Christianity influenced the birth and development of the nation is seldom understood by contemporary American Read more…. Christian History. No incident in modern history is more dramatic than the sudden appearance in Germany of the Protestant Swedish King, Gustavus Ado Read more….
Signers of the Declaration of Independence Posted by Dr. It was treason against the home government, yet perfect allegiance to the law of right. It subjected those who signed it to the danger of an ignominious death, yet it entitled them to the profound reverence of a disenthralled people. And their own sound judgment and discretion, their own purity of purpose and integrity of conduct, were fortified and strengthened by the voice of the people in popular assemblies, embodied in written instructions for the guidance of their representatives.
Such were the men unto whose keeping, as instruments of Providence, the destinies of America were for the time entrusted; and it has been well remarked, that men, other than such as these,— an ignorant, untaught mass, like those who have formed the physical elements of other revolutionary movements, without sufficient intellect to guide and control them—could not have conceived, planned, and carried into execution, such a mighty movement, one so fraught with tangible marks of political wisdom, as the American Revolution.
And it is a matter of just pride to the American people, that not one of that noble band who periled life, fortune, and honor, in the cause of freedom, ever fell from his high estate into moral degradation, or dimmed, by word or deed, the brightness of that effulgence which halos the Declaration of American Independence.
Their bodies now have all returned to their kindred dust in the grave, and their souls have gone to receive their reward in the Spirit Land. Congress was assembled in Independence Hall, at Philadelphia, when the Declaration was adopted, and, connected with that event, the following touching incident is related.
On the morning of the day of its adoption, the venerable bell-man ascended to the steeple, and a little boy was placed at the door of the Hall to give him notice when the vote should be concluded. John Penn. John Morton. Oliver Wolcott. John Adams. Matthew Thornton. George Clymer. Roger Sherman. Elbridge Gerry. Francis Lewis.
William Hooper. Edward Rutledge. American Christianity April Articles Christian Calendar Christian History Signers of Declaration of Independence Without consideration being given to the person of Jesus Christ, it is fair to say that probably a greater man than Benjamin Franklin has never lived who has possessed greater analytical ability; often this trait has distinguished itself in true greatness by means of internal qualities rather than by means of brilliant external displays.
Benjamin Harrison V. George Wythe. American Christianity Christian Calendar Christian History June Articles Signers of Declaration of Independence George Wythe — June 8, was the first American law professor, a noted classics scholar and Virginia judge, as well as a prominent opponent of slavery. John Hancock. Francis Hopkinson. George Read. George Ross. Robert Treat Paine.
Abraham Clark. George Walton. John Witherspoon. Robert Morris. Thomas Stone. James Smith. Carter Braxton. Arthur Middleton. Samuel Huntington. Yet, Schweikart is essentially correct. Almost all the colonial colleges had as their primary goal the training of ministers. Most of the graduates went on to other pursuits law, teaching, medicine, agriculture or other businesses , but the curriculum contained heavy doses of theological and moral content. Like other professions, after graduation you basically apprenticed under a lawyer law , docter medicine or pastor Christian ministry.
I don't believe separate "Divinity Schools" existed until the early 's, but that does not mean that like training didn't exist in the late colonial period. That was the reason for the founding of these colleges. In fact, you run into the term "seminary" being used to describe most colleges well into the 19th century.
There certainly was a lot of religious skepticism and deism in these colleges during the revolutionary era, but I think much less so during the years when the Founders would have attended. Too bad professor Schweikart couldn't have been a little more indulgent of our curiosity and given us a list of these "Divinity Schools. That is to say, formally designated institutions of theological study and preparation for the pastorate. I am not at all aware that that is the case.
Indeed, I'm not aware of how many separate "Divinity Schools" there were in America before the Revolution. The one I attended wasn't founded till , for example. If anyone can get us a list, or point us to one on the web, that shows which founders went to which Divinity Schools, that would be really, really helpful!
And, if we can see what degrees they earned, that would be even better! Awaiting enlightenment on this one. It's a necessary corrective to those, like the author here, who would jump from the fact that the population and worldview of the day were largely Christian to the idea that the nation they formed was anymore than say the institution of slavery they built was.
Hard to see any relevance to current religious situation -- none of the "born again" would consider most of the Founders truly Christian. Anyway, by this standard, Clinton and of course Gore have "divinity school training," while Bush and Cheney do not -- so whose opinions carry weight?
I don't question any of your facts but I do disagree with your seeming conclusion that Franklin and Jefferson were part of the "spirit of the age". Mark Noll is an eminent historian of American religion. His analysis is that few of the founders were Christian, however, they were big proponents of the positive effect of Christianity on society and its importance for the survival of a new republic. If we look at as Noll and others have the Revolutionary Generation and the Early Repbulic eras and did below the level of the top leaders, we find an America that is much more devout and Christian.
Starting in about the 2nd Great Awakinging pushed the culture and society in an even more pietist and obviously Christian direction. Harvard hurts your case because Harvard was quite exceptional in its Unitarian theology. Yale and Princeton stayed quite true to their Christian mission with a Calvinist flavor.
All the historiography on higher education between the revolution and the Civil War that I am aware of shows the virtual hegemony of evangelical Christians, mostly Calvinists, in the explosion of colleges that were created in that period.
My own work on the origins of the public schools shows the dominant role played by graduates of Yale, Princeton and the "log colleges" of the Presbyterians in the creation of the schools. In looking at about 40 common school activists, I have found only one Harvard graduate. If one focuses his study on Massachusetts, Harvard and the Unitarians loom large. As you move to the west, their cultural impact on the country, up to the Civil War, is quiet minimal. It should be noted that Jefferson considered his Virginia edict of religious liberty worth mentioning on his gravestone, in contrast to his presidency.
Recommending a course of study for his nephew, he wrote from Paris in "Religion. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a god; because, if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. Read the bible then, as you would read Livy or Tacitus. Encouraged in his undertaking by John Adams, he wrote: "We must reduce our volume to the simple Evangelists, select, even from them, the very words of Jesus [cutting out the misconceptions of the writers].
I have performed this operation for my own use, by cutting verses by verse out of the printed book, and arranging the matter which is evidently his and which is as easily distinguished as diamonds in a dung hill.
I have some doubts as to his Divinity; tho' it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble. This was a time, after all, when Unitarians were taking over Harvard divinity school from orthodox Congregationalists.
Thomas, I have no idea what the entire book is like. Given Larry's skills, I suspect some of the economic sections are excellent, even if I were to disagree with some of the conclusions. However, Larry chose to single out this area of history and post it here.
He made it fair game. Your judgement to condemn the entire book based upon your charge seems a bit extreme. He was one of the best educated of the signers, having studied with the Jesuits both in the British colonies and in France.
He was also the wealthiest of the signers, having over two thousand pounds, or about a half-billion dollars in modern currency. The Revolution would have been hard pressed without his financial contributions to the cause. Before the Revolution, he was one of the first to declare that the path to independence could not be won by diplomacy and discussion but only by armed revolution. He was the last of the signers to die in Perhaps the background of religious belief in the Revolutionary period is best represented by a famous speech made by Benjamin Franklin on June 28, , to the Constitutional Convention 11 years after the original declaration.
Reminding the Constitutional Convention that in the days of the original Declaration of Independence, the signers had begun every session with prayers, he called for the following:.
In the beginning of the contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine Protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered.
All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor.
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