GOVT200ComparisonPaper

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Northampton County Area Community College *

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Political Science

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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1 Comparison Paper Sabrina V. Miller Helms School of Government, Liberty University GOVT200: Constitutional Government and Free Enterprise Professor Mike Johnson January 29, 2024

2 Comparison Paper The U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Thomas Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists are founding documents that form a solid basis for understanding American principles and values. In this paper, we will analyze the themes of these documents chronologically and shed light upon the views of people who signed them regarding separation between state and church. These papers comprise the resolution of American democracy, defining a country that intends to protect individual liberties while nurturing public welfare (Doe, 2020). With such a strong demand to stand away from subjugation and determination to ensure rights that apply to every citizen, it seems realistic when I say The Declaration of Independence contains very impressive articulation on unalienable senses or even more than correct characters (Hutson, 2020). As a result, the U.S. Constitution's careful definition of details describes how to arrange the use of force and disputes regarding power between the national government and state governments (Doe, 2020). The historical development from the Declaration to the Constitution shows many changes in perception, revealing that radical demands for liberty and Independence were made, which the composers of the document advocated for gradually transformed into governing practicalities (Ferdon, 2019). In addition, the Letter to the Danbury Baptists of Thomas Jefferson provides another depth of understanding of this connection between faith and the government (Hutson, 2020). The wall of separation between the Church and State used by Jefferson embodies that the Fathers never intended to create a state religion, which would safeguard the freedom of worship for ordinary citizens (Doe, 2020). With this study of the interactionism between these papers, we

3 may finally dissect the web that created a whole nation's nuanced wideness about separation and transition from religion to state in its early years (Martin, 2006). The Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4 th , 1776, before the U.S. Constitution, which had been ratified on September 17th, 1787 (Ferdon, 2019). The chronology is also essential for understanding how American governance has evolved (Martin, 2006). The Declaration acted as a declaration of Independence from the British, based on individuals' human rights and the reason for self-rule (Doe, 2020). On the other hand, the Constitution drafted more than a decade later laid down the structure of the newborn nation, defining its system of government and powers therein, as well as rights that should be adhered to by the citizens (Hutson, 2020). The two papers have common themes of individual liberty, natural rights, and the pursuit of an enjoyable life (Doe, 2020). The Declaration emphasizes that the government gets its rightful powers from respecting those occupied, while the Constitution stipulates a balanced modus operandi to avoid any misuse of power (Doe, 2020). In this regard, the Declaration establishes the theoretical foundation on which governance will be based as denoted herein while at the same time using a practical document like a constitution from where it originates (Hutson, 2020). In order to understand the perspective of those who signed the amendment and how they felt about the separation between church and state, one must analyze this 1802 document by Jeffers, referred to d commonly as The Letter to Danbury Baptist (Hutson, 2020). In this Letter, Jefferson used the phrase "wall of separation between Church and State" to promote the principles upon which the Founding Fathers founded the United States (Ferdon, 2019). By any means, an unnecessary path could be provided for a state religion, and citizens were guaranteed

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