Omar Bennett
In his book Founding Sins: How a Group of Antislavery Radicals Fought to Put Christ into the Constitution, Joseph S. Moore examines the forgotten history of the Covenanters, a group of conservative Calvinists who challenged the religion and politics of early America. The two founding sins of the Constitution according to the Covenanters were its failure to acknowledge Christ as king and its protection of slavery. The Covenanters, who were America's first Christian nationalists, believed that the United States was not founded as a Christian nation because the Constitution did not mention Jesus and allowed for slavery. They fought for an explicitly Christian America and attempted to amend the Constitution to acknowledge God.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Failure to acknowledge Christ as king | Jesus was not mentioned in the Constitution |
| Protection of slavery | The Founding Fathers owned slaves |
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What You'll Learn
The omission of Jesus Christ from the Constitution
Moore's book focuses on the Covenanters portion of the Reformed tradition in America. The Covenanters were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and conservative Calvinists who believed that the United States was not founded as a Christian nation because Jesus was not mentioned in the Constitution and the Founding Fathers owned slaves. They argued that the Constitution was a godless document and constructed many arguments against it, attacking the character of the founders.
The Covenanters were America's first Christian nationalists. They had once ruled Scotland as part of a Presbyterian coalition and sought to convert America to a holy Calvinist vision in which church and state were united to form a godly body politic. Despite being one of North America's smallest religious sects, they were God's rebels and found their way into every major revolt. They were just as likely to be Patriots against Britain as they were to be Whiskey Rebels against the federal government.
The Founding Fathers wanted to set up a fair and balanced government with the Constitution. They understood that it should be able to change and grow over time, so they included a way to amend it. Amendments require two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate or two-thirds of the states to approve the change. In over 200 years, the Constitution has only been amended 27 times.
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The inclusion of slavery in the Constitution
The Covenanters' arguments against slavery and for the recognition of Christ in the Constitution forced America to clarify the nature of its governmental institutions on the issue of religion. They saw the United States as a secular state that failed the test of Christian nationhood. The Founding Fathers, on the other hand, believed that the power to legislate on religion lay within the domain of state governments, not the national government. They also thought that introducing religion into the Constitution would be a tactical mistake due to its politically controversial nature.
The Covenanters' views on slavery and religion were influenced by their history in Scotland, where they had once ruled as part of a Presbyterian coalition. They wanted to unite church and state to form a godly body politic. The Covenanters were involved in every major revolt in American history, including the fight for emancipation, where they had a significant influence. Despite their efforts, the Founding Fathers, many of whom owned slaves, did not include a recognition of Jesus Christ in the Constitution.
The Covenanters' story has largely been forgotten, overshadowed by the histories of more famous figures and events. However, their arguments against slavery and for the recognition of Christ in the Constitution were significant in shaping America's understanding of the separation of church and state.
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The failure to acknowledge Christ as king
The Founding Fathers of the United States wanted to set up a fair and balanced government, and the Constitution was designed to limit government and establish rules for each part of the government. However, the Constitution's reticence about religion has been a point of contention for many. One of the two founding sins of the Constitution, according to some, is the failure to acknowledge Christ as king.
This view was notably held by the Covenanters, a group of conservative Calvinists in early America, who were America's first Christian nationalists. They were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians who challenged every facet of the nation's religion and politics, its system of slavery, and its failures of freedom. They were once part of a Presbyterian coalition that ruled Scotland and sought to convert America to a holy Calvinist vision in which church and state united to form a godly body politic.
The Covenanters considered the government responsible for religious duties such as protecting the church, providing for the church, and persecuting heresy. They attempted to bring about a godly nation in Britain through the National Covenant and the Solemn League and Covenant. However, when these covenants were broken, they considered violent rebellion permissible, resulting in their defeat and persecution.
The Covenanters believed that the United States was not founded as a Christian nation because the Constitution did not acknowledge the sovereignty of Christ as king over the nations. They saw this as a failure of the US to acknowledge God, which they linked to the moral failure of institutionalized racial slavery. They fought for an explicitly Christian America and wanted to amend the Constitution to acknowledge God. They viewed the Constitution as a godless document and attacked the character of the founders, including George Washington, whom they portrayed as a tyrannical jerk.
The Constitution's silence on religion can be attributed to two main reasons. Firstly, many of the delegates were committed federalists who believed that the power to legislate on religion, if it existed, belonged to the state governments rather than the national government. Secondly, the delegates wanted to avoid introducing the politically controversial issue of religion into the Constitution. Instead, they included a religious clause in Article Six, which prohibited religious tests as qualifications for federal office, intending to defuse controversy by disarming potential critics who might claim religious discrimination in eligibility for public office.
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The perception of a godless Constitution
The Covenanters, also known as Reformed Presbyterians, believed that the government had a responsibility to uphold religious duties such as protecting the church and persecuting heresy. They wanted to create a Christian America by amending the Constitution to recognise God and Jesus Christ as sovereign. They saw the absence of any mention of God or Jesus in the Constitution as a slight to their faith and a failure to acknowledge the role of religion in the nation's founding.
The Constitution's silence on religion can be attributed to two main reasons. Firstly, many of the Founding Fathers, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were committed federalists who believed that the power to legislate on religion lay within the domain of state governments rather than the national government. They intended to keep the Constitution secular to respect the religious diversity of the nation. Secondly, they believed that introducing religion into the Constitution would be a tactical mistake due to its politically controversial nature. Instead, they included a religious clause in Article Six, prohibiting religious tests as qualifications for federal office to defuse potential criticism of religious discrimination.
However, the Founding Fathers also recognised the importance of religion in shaping the nation's values and principles. They included freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights, which was ratified as the First Amendment to the Constitution in 1791. This amendment forbade Congress from making any law "respecting an establishment of religion," thus ensuring religious freedom and preventing state-supported religion from flourishing. The First and Second Presidents of the United States, George Washington and John Adams, were patrons of religion and offered strong rhetorical support for its role in society.
The debate around the godless Constitution has had a significant impact on America's religious and political landscape. The Covenanters, despite being a small religious sect, played a pivotal role in every major revolt, including the fight for emancipation. They challenged the notion of a secular state and set the boundaries for religion in politics for generations. Their legacy continues to shape the ongoing dialogue about the role of religion in American society and governance.
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The Covenanters' legacy and influence
The Covenanters, now mostly forgotten, were a group of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians and Reformed Presbyterians who challenged every facet of the nation's religion and politics, its system of slavery, and its failures of freedom. They were America's first Christian nationalists and fought for an explicitly Christian America. They believed that the founding fathers had committed two "founding sins" in the US Constitution: the refusal to acknowledge the Kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ and the protection of slavery.
The Covenanters' legacy is that of a group of religious rebels who were just as likely to be Patriots against Britain as they were to be Whiskey Rebels against the federal government. They were the nation's earliest and most avowed abolitionists, and they had a significant influence on the fight for emancipation. They also helped American secularists create their own identity as liberals and demonstrated to Protestant fundamentalists the acceptable outer limits of moral reform.
The Covenanters' influence on the course of American history has been largely overlooked. Their unique story has been submerged beneath the more prominent histories of the events in which they participated and the famous figures with whom they interacted. Despite being one of North America's smallest religious sects, the Covenanters found their way into every major revolt. They were a part of nearly every significant rebellion in American history, from the Revolution against Britain to the Whiskey Rebellion against the federal government.
The Covenanters' arguments forced America to clarify the nature of its governmental institutions on the issue of religion. They challenged the notion that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and argued that it was intentionally designed and confirmed as secular from the start. They believed that the Constitution was a godless document and constructed many arguments against it, even attacking the character of the founders. Their interactions with George Washington, for example, portray him as a tyrannical figure, reminiscent of Old World nobility, which is a very different perception than most Americans are taught.
The Covenanters' legacy is also one of failure. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to insert God into the Constitution. However, they did set the acceptable limits for religion in politics for generations to come. They demonstrated that while modern arguments about America's Christian founding often come from the right, the Covenanter legacy contradicts this claim.
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Frequently asked questions
The two founding sins of the US Constitution were its failure to acknowledge Christ as king and its protection of slavery.
The group that believed the US Constitution had founding sins were the Covenanters, a group of conservative Calvinists in early America.
The Covenanters wanted to convert America to a holy Calvinist vision in which church and state united to form a godly body politic. They wanted to create a Christian America by amending the Constitution to acknowledge God.
The Founding Fathers did not include references to God or Jesus Christ in the Constitution because they believed that the power to legislate on religion lay within the domain of state governments, not the national government. They also believed that introducing religion into the Constitution would be a tactical mistake as it was such a politically controversial issue.
