Our Founding Faiths

As early as 1800, in the first hotly contested presidential campaign, Federalist Party preachers from New England denounced Jefferson as an “infidel” and rallied behind Unitarian John Adams’s “God-fearing” presidency. From the outset of our experiment in government, in fact, the founders fought tooth and nail in a contest over American values: a vigorous, sometimes savage, yet nearly forgotten thirty-year conflict to redeem the nation’s soul. . . “

In this talk based on the writings of Rev. Forrest Church, Jane Martin Buckley will examine the religious backgrounds of our first five American Presidents. Which were Unitarian? How did “Freedom/Liberty” vs. “Order/Law” influence the debate? How did the influence of the French Revolution play into decisions? Does what we know about Washington-Adams-Jefferson-Madison-Monroe influence who
we are as Americans today?