The origins, controversial uses, and competing interpretations of Jefferson's famous remark—"wall of separation between church and state" No phrase in American letters has had a more profound influence on church-state law, policy, and discourse than Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation between church and state,” and few metaphors have provoked more passionate debate. Introduced in an 1802 letter to the Danbury, Connecticut Baptist Association, Jefferson’s “wall” is accepted by many Americans as a concise description of the U.S. Constitution’s church-state arrangement and conceived as a virtual rule of constitutional law. Despite the enormous influence of the “wall” metaphor, almost no scholarship has investigated the text of the Danbury letter, the context in which it was written, or Jefferson’s understanding of his famous phrase. Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State offers an in-depth examination of the origins, controversial uses, and competing interpretations of this powerful metaphor in law and public policy.
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Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State offers an in-depth examination of the origins, controversial uses, and competing interpretations of this powerful metaphor in law and public policy.
Les mer
1 Introduction2 The President, a Mammoth Cheese, and the "Wall of Separation": Jeffersonian Politics and the New England Baptists 3 "Sowing Useful Truths and Principles"4 "What the Wall Separates" 5 Early References to a "Wall of Separation"6 Creating "Effectual Barriers"7 "Useful Truths and Principles ... Germinate and Become Rooted" in the American Mind: Jefferson's Metaphor Enters Political and Juridical Discourse 8 ConclusionAppendices1 Proclamation Appointing a Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer, May 17742 Address to the Inhabitants of the Parish of St. Anne, 1774 3 Bills Reported by the Committee of Revisors Appointed by the General Assembly of Virginia in 1776, 18 June 1779 4 Proclamation Appointing a Day of Publick and Solemn Thanksgiving and Prayer, November 1779 1375 Draft of "The Kentucky Resolutions of 1798," November 1798 (excerpt) 6 Correspondence with the Danbury Baptist Association, 1801-1802 1427 Correspondence with the Citizens of Chesire, Massachusetts, January 1802 1498 Second Inaugural Address, 4 March 1805 (excerpts) 9 Letter from Jefferson to the Reverend Samuel Miller, 23 January 1808 Notes Selected BibliographyAcknowledgmentsIndexAbout the Author
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In the opinion of this reviewer, Dreisbach is undeniably correct. His research is thorough, and his analysis comports with the history of the period. Dreisbachs study of Jefferson's likely meaning when he utilized the phrase wall of separation makes a valuable contribution to an important area of the constitutional law, an area of great consequence to Christians. The fact that it is written by a law professor at a "top twenty" law school increases its significance and credibility in the scholar world. The book has a minimum of legal jargon and can easily be understood. Daniel Dreisbachs book is highly recommended.
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Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State offers an in-depth examination of the origins, controversial uses, and competing interpretations of this powerful metaphor in law and public policy.
Les mer

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780814719367
Publisert
2003-10-01
Utgiver
Vendor
New York University Press
Vekt
408 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Aldersnivå
UU, UP, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet

Forfatter

Biographical note

Daniel L. Dreisbach is an Associate Professor in the Department of Justice, Law, and Society at American University. He is the editor of Religion and Political Culture in Jefferson’s Virginia and Religion and Politics in the Early Republic.