Faron Samford

American History Now

          Relating to works and texts from the early periods of American history can be a very difficult task for current students.  Reading about the early exploration of America is interesting if the student already has an interest in history, or more particular, American history.  If this is not something that the student finds particularly interesting, then these writings can seem very dry and in a lot of cases, quite boring.  Reading works from the early settlement of America can give a better understanding into debates that are still ranging today, such as the debate over the separation of church and state.  When looking at these works as they relate to current social debates helps make them more relevant.

          The ripple effect that the writings of the Puritans during their first settlement of America is evidenced in the setup of our current government and is the basis of several arguments that continue today.  In Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation, he explains the purpose of the pilgrims’ journey to America was to establish a utopian community much like the original establishment of Israel from the Genesis story, where the church and their religion was central to their life.  “The Mayflower Compact,” detailed in Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation, establishes the civil government in the early colony “in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick.” In essence, this establishes the church as the central authority of government.

          As the settlement of the colonies gained more cultural and religious diversity, problems arise that are reflected in the literature of the changing periods.  The religious reformation and warfare period started to indicate problems inherent with having the church function as the civil government.  Hawthorne’s, “The Maypole of Merry-Mount,” begins reflecting some of the backlash that was being felt towards the Puritans and their strict, religious beliefs. This backlash is reflected in the quarrel between the Puritans and the people of Merry-Mount as he states that, “should the grizzly saints establish their jurisdiction over the gay sinners, then would their spirits darken all the clime.”  Hawthorne’s frame of reference for this struggle is one of personal interest due to the part his ancestors played in the witch trials that were to shortly follow this time.

          The Salem witch trials brought the dangers of the unity of the church and state to a crescendo in early America. Detailed in Cotton Mather’s The Wonders of the Invisible World, the trials and hangings of those accused of witchcraft is a perfect example of the need of the separation of these two entities, while also conveying how closely they were intertwined.  Referencing the belief that witchcraft was being practiced, Mather states it in such terms as, “a horrible plot against the country by witchcraft…which if it were not seasonably discovered would probably blow up, and pull down all the churches in the country.”  The degree of unity between these two institutions is made clear in the idea that a single practice that affects the churches is an attack against the country itself.  The ripples of this atrocity are even seen present in the 1950’s with the popularity of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and gives us the term “witch hunt,” frequently used in times of widespread persecution. 

          Having the details of this horribly divisive act recorded in literature and passed on to future generations helped propel the American colonists into the age of reason.  The dangers of having the church as part of the government, and given the legal right to perform executions, were greatly understood by the founding fathers of our country in this time period.  The backlash toward the church increased the division among the colonists due to the witch trials. As the colonies were headed towards revolution, our founding fathers realized that separating these institutions would be key to creating unity among the colonists, which would be essential to the establishment of a new nation.

          Thomas Jefferson, the primary author behind the constitution and the bill of rights, voices these concerns in his essay, “Religion,” where he noted that the early settlers came in search of “civil and religious freedom; but they found them free only for the reigning sect.”  He realized the importance of not having a government established church in the creation of a free, united nation.  He states later in the essay how important this separation would be for the unity of the country when he states that ““millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity.”  These reflections on the effects of the combination of religion and state are the inspiration that led to the amendment to the constitution separating these institutions, so that a united nation could be formed that would have no chance of surviving otherwise.

          The concerns and fears of the founding fathers created the documents that now are central the nation that we live in.  The argument continues today over the separation of church and state making weekly headlines as the debate continues to this day.  To have a better understanding of the nature of this debate and the reason this is such a passionate issue on both sides, the literature from the early periods of our country must be studied to see where the origin of the separation evolved from and why.