Mini-FACSo
Another Fundamental for American Christians
Does America ~ have a Chri&-
tian heri~? The so<!aIled "politi-
~ correct" say "No!" Here are
a fewof the facts Ofhisloty. Yoube
the judge.
April 10, 1606
King James I, charter for the settlement
of Virginia: "to the glory of His divine
Majesty, in propagating of the Chris-
tian religion to such people as yet live
in ignorance of the true knowledge
and worship of God ...."
May 23,1609
Second charter granted Virginia: " ...
because the principal effect which we
can expect or desire of this action is the
conversion and reauctionof the people
in those parts unto the true worship of
God and the Christian religion."
November 3, 1620
King James I grants the Charter of the
Plymouth Council: "in the hope there-
by to advance the enlargement of the
Christian religiOn. to the glory of God
Almighty."
November 11, 1620
The Mayflower Compact: Pilgrims
aboard the Mayflower in Plymouth
Harbor covenant"In ye name of God,
Amen We whose names are under-
writen. the loyall subjects of our dread
soveraigne Lord, King James, by ye
grace of God, of Great Britaine, Franc.
&:Ireland king, defender of ye faith,
&., haveing undertaken for ye glorie of
God and ye advancement of ye Chris-
tian faith ..." do by these presents sol-
emnly&: mutually in ye· presence of
God, and one of another, covenant and
combine our selves togeather into a
civill body politick ..."
MarchL1629
The First Charter of Massachusetts:
"... and for the directing, ruling, and
disposeing of all other Matters and
Thinges, whereby our said People ...
may be soe religiously, peaceablie, and
civilly governed, as their good life and
orderlie Conversacon. maie wynn and in-
cite the Natives of the Country to the
Knowledg and Obedience of the onIie true
God and Savior of Mankinde, and the
Christian Fayth, which in our Royall
Intencon. and the Adventurers free pr0-
fession. is the principall Ende of this Plan-
tacion ..."
January 1L 1638
Towns of Hartford, Weathersfield and
Windsor adopt the FundamenfJll Orders ti
Connecticut and "... enter into Combina-
tion and Confederation togather to
mayntayne and presearve the liberty and
the purity of the Gospell of our Lord Jesus,
which we now professe ..."
August L 1639
Inhabitants of Exeter, New Hampshire:
"... considering with ourselves the holy
will of God and our own necessity, that we
should not live without wholesome laws
and civil government among us, of which
we are altogether destitute, do, in the name
of Christ and in the sight of God, combine
ourselves together to erect and set up
among us such government as shall be, to
our best discerning, agreeable to the will of
God ..."
1641
Massachusetts BodyQ/liberties: "The free
fruition of such liberties, Immunities and
priveledges as humanities, CiviIitie and
Christianitie call for as due to every man in
his place and proportion withoutimpeach-
ment and Infringement hath ever bene
and ever will be the tranqualities and Sta-
bilities of Churches and Commonwealths.
And the deniall or deprivall thereof, the
disturbance if not the ruine of both. H
September 26, 1642
"Rules, and Precepts that are observed in
the College at Cambridge in Massachu-
setts Bay" (now known as Harvard): "•..
Let every Student be plainly instructed,
and earnestly pressed to consider well, the
maine end of his life and studies is, to
know God and Jesus Christ which is
eternalilife, John 17:3 and therefore to lay
Christ in the bottome, as the only founda-
tion of all sound knowledge and learning.
Mini-FACS: Truths About America's Christian Heritage/ Page 2
And seeing the Lord only giveth
wisedome, Let everyone seriously set
himself by prayer in secret to seeke it of
him Provo2." (One hundred and six of the
first 108 schools in Amerial werefOunded on
the Christian faith.)
"The rlghta of the colonlsta aa
Christiana •••may be beat under-
stood by reading and carefully
8tudylng the In8tltutlon of The
Great Law Giver and Head of the
Christian Church, which are to
be found clearly written and pro-
mulgated Inthe NewTntament."
Samuel Adams, Old South Leaffet, report
of the Boston Committee of Correspon-
dence, November 20, 1772
May 19, 1643
New England Colonies of Massachu-
setts, Connecticut, New Plymouth and
New Haven adopt Articles oj Confedera-
tion: "Whereas we all came into these
parts of America with one and the same
end and aim namely, to advance the
kingdome of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
to injoy the liberties of the Gospell in
purities with peace."
April 3. 1644
New Haven Colony adopts charter: " ...
that the judicial laws of God, as they
were delivered by Moses ,.. be a rule to
all the courts in this jurisdiction ..."
April 21. 1649
The Marylllnd TolerationAct: "Be it there-
fore ... enacted ... that no person or
persons whatsoever within this prov-
ince ... professing to believe in Jesus
Christ shall ... henceforth be any ways
troubled, molested (or disapproved of)
... in respect of his or her religion nor in
the free exercise thereof ..."
April 25. 1689
The Great lAw ojPennsylvaniJl: "Whereas
the glory of Almighty God and the good
of mankind is the reason and the end of
government ... therefore government
itself is a venerable ordinance of God ..."
September 5. 1774
Continental Congress, Carpenter's Hall,
Philadelphia: With news just received
that British troops had attacked in B0s-
ton, the minister opens the session by
reading Psalm 35: "Plead my cause, Oh,
Lord, with them that strive with me,fight
against them that fight against me.... "
(Congress also authorizes payment to
chaplains to open its sessions with
prayer.)
Mav 20. 1775
The Meck1enbur~ (Nq County Resolu-
tions: "We hereby declare ourselves a
free and independent people; are, and
of a right ought to be, a sovereign and
self-governing association, under con-
trol of no power other than that of our
God and the general government of
Congress."
June 12, 1775
Continental Congress.calls all citizens
to fast and pray and confess their sin
that The Lord God might bless the land.
" And it is recommended to Christians,
of all denominations, to assemble for
public worship, and to abstain from
servile labour and recreations on said
day."For the first time, all Americans
prayed together. (ContinentJd Congress
Journals, Vol. II, p. 87)
May 17. 1776
Congress appoints a day of fasting and
prayer for the colonies so they might
"by a sincere repentance and amend-
ment of life, appease God's righteous
displeasure, and through the merits and
mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain His
pardon and forgiveness."
June 12, 1776
VirginiJl Bat oj Ri~hts: " (Sec. 16) That
religiOn, or the duty which we owe our
Creator, and the manner of discharging
it, can be directed only by reason and
convictions, not by force or violence;
and therefore all men are equally enti-
tled to the free exercise of religion, ac-
cording to the dictates of conscience;
and that it is the mutual duty of all to
practice Christian forbearance, love, and
charity towards each other."
July 2-4, 1776
Declaration ojlndependence: "... the sepa-
rate and equal station to which the Laws
 of Nature and of Nature's God entitle
them ... We hold these truths ... that all
men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with cer-
tain unalienable rights ... appealing to
the Supreme Judge of the world ...
And for the support of this Declara-
tion, with firm reliance on the Protec-
tion of Divine Providence ...." (Congress
establishedcommitteeto designagreatseal
fortheUnitedStates.Jeff~ JohnAdams,
and Franklin.Jeffersonproposed a picture
ofIsraelitesin thewUdernessguidedby the
pillar of fireby night and the cloud by day.
Benjamin Franklin suggested the motto
"Rebellionto tyrants is obedience to God"
on an officialseal depictingMosesparting
the RedSeaand symbolizingthe exodus to
liberty.)
1776
Delaware ConstiiiiiiOir prescribes this
formal oath: "I, - -, do profess faith
in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost,
one God blessed forevermore; and I
do acknowledge the Holy Scriptures
in the Old and New Testament to be
given by divine inspiration."
August 2" 1776
"We have this day restored the Sov-
ereign to Whom all men ought to be
obedient. He reigns in heaven" and
from the rising to the setting of the
sun, let His kingdom come." Sam
Adams as the Declaration ofIndepen-
dence was being signed.
September 11, 1777
Continental Congress directs its Com-
mittee of Commerce to import 20,000
copies of The Bible from Europe, be-
cause the domestic supply was short;
it also authorizes chaplains in the
Continental Army; General Wash-
ington moves to have chaplains ap-
pointed in each regiment
November 1, 1777
Continental Congress issues the first
proclamation of thanksgiving extend-
ing to all colonies: " ... That with one
heart and one voice the good people
may express the grateful feelings of
their hearts, and consecrate them-
selves to the service of their Divine Bene-
factor and together with their sincere
acknowledgeements and offerings, they
may join the penitent confession of their
manifold sins, whereby they have for-
feited every favour, and their humble
and earnest supplication that it may
please God, through the merits of Jesus
Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot
them out of remembrance ...and to pros-
per the means of religion for the promo-
tion and enlargement of that kingdom
which consisteth in rightousness, peace
and joy in the Holy Ghost"
March 2. 1778
George Washington comments on the
fortunes of the United States' war for
independence: "The hand of Providence
has been so conspicuous in all this, that
he must be worse than an infidel, and
more than wicked, that has not gratitude
enough to acknowledge his obligation."
January 16, 1786
Virginia Statute PiRelipms Liberty. "Well
aware that Almighty God hath created
the mind free; that all attempts to influ-
ence it by temporal punishments or bur-
dens, or by civil incapacitations ... are a
departure from the plan of the Holy
Author of our religion ..."
July 13. 1787
Northwest Ordinance ... (Article nI): "Re-
ligion, morality, and knowledge being
necessary to good government and the
happiness of mankind, schools and the
means of education shall be forever en-
couraged."
September 17, 1787
Constitution Pi The United Sta~ratified
May 29, 1790): "(Preamble) We the PeO-
ple of the United States, in order to ..•
secure the Blessings of Liberty to our-
selves and our posterity ..." (ART. LSec.
7) " Ifany Billshall not be returned by the
President within ten Days (Sundays ex-
cepted) ..." "Done in Convention, by the
unanimous consent of the States pres-
ent, the seventeenth day of September,
in the yetl1' of OUT Lord one thousand seven
hundred and eighty-seven." (Emphasis
added)
 1788
James Madison, architect" of the fed-
II
eral Constitution and fourth president
liThe belief in God All Powerful wise
and good, is so essential to the moral
order of the World and to the happiness
of man, that arguments which enforce it
cannot be drawn from too many sources
nor adapted with too much solicitude to
the different characters and capacities to
be impressed with il"
April 30, 1789
George Washington's First Inaugural
Address: " ... my fervent supplications
to that Almighty Being Who rules over
the universe, Who presides in the coun-
cils of nations, and Whose providential
aids can supply every human defect.
that His benediction may consecrate to
the liberties and happiness of the people
of the United States a government insti-
tuted by themselves for these essential
purposes ..." "... the propitious smiles
of Heaven can never be expected on a
nation that disregards the eternal order
and right which Heaven itself has or-
dained".
"The great enemy of the olva-
tlon of man In my opinion never
Intended a more effectual means
of extirpating Christianity from
the world than by persuading
mankind that It was Improper to
read The Bible at schools." July
13, 1789, Dr. Benjamin Ruah, signer of
both the Declaration of Independenc:e
and the Constitution of the United States
(and Washington's physician general).
1791
Five of the states ratifying the federal
Constitution complain that there is no
mention of God in the new Constitu-
tion. The Supreme Court upheld their
right to complain: "Indeed the concern
of the Christian status of the nation is
well founded."
1794
Samuel Adams, Ll Gov., Massachu-
setts, addresses thestate legislature upon
the death of Governor John Hancock:
"Inthe supposed state of nature, all men
are equally bound by the laws of nature,
or to speak more properly, the laws of
the Creator: - They are imprinted by
the finger of God on the heart of man.
Thou shall do no injury to thy neighbor,
is the voice of nature and reason, and it
is confirmed by written revelation."
1799
Runkel v Winemiller 4 Harris & McHenry
(MD) 4291 AD 411, 417 Oustice Chase):
"By our form of government the Chris-
tian religion is the established religion."
1802
Judge Nathaniel Freeman, in his charge
to the Massachusetts Grand Jury: liThe
laws of the Christian system, as em-
braced by The Bible, must be respected
as of high authority in all our courts and
it cannot be thought improper for the
officers of such government to acknowl-
edge their obligation to be governed by
its rule." " [our government] originating
in the voluntary compact of a people
who in that very instrument profess the
Christian religion, it may be consid-
ered, not as republic Rome was, a Pa-
gan, but a Christian republic."
December 22, 1820
Daniel Webster, Plymouth, MA: " ... let
us not forget the religiOUS character of
our origin. Our fathers brought hither
their high veneration for the Christian
religiOn. They journeyed by its light.
and labored in its hope. They sought to
incorporate ... and to diffuse its influ-
ence through all their institutions, civil,
political and literary."
In Dart It Mini-fA~ will cite more events.
dec~, quotes end evidences BUe.!lt-
ill8 to Americe'sChristien heritaae.
'l'bis Min~fftC&
is de6~ 86 an iMert. for
church bulIetinIl. handou~ for Bible clll6lJe6. elc.
for oopie6 of thi6 Min~fftC& or for the lJIOlC
del.aiIed8-~ 'OurChri&liin "~. pIe86e
me the Plymouth Qock foundaoon. fiek Mill.
Madborou8J. NIl03455 (603 876-4685 or l-ax>-
21()'16X»
~ PLYMOU1H ROCK FOUNDATION