250th Anniversary of
The United States of America
The History of Our
Declaration of Independence and
Church-State Separation
We proudly celebrate 250 years of American independence from kings who ruled over both church and state.
250 years ago, a group of men had the bold and brave idea to cut off ties with “the CHRISTIAN king of Great Britain,” as an early draft of the Declaration explained. They set out on a journey to create a new country that is free from divine monarchy, from theocracy, and instead, is of the people, by the people, and for the people. They declared that governments derive “their just Powers from the consent of the governed,” not from gods, churches, or clergy.
They did not get many things right: at first, the country belonged only to certain white men. But for 250 years, we have been marching towards the promise of America as a country where all people can be free.
Christian Nationalists threaten that promise of freedom and hope to turn us back to the dark times before 1776, when religious oppression was rampant and rulers imposed their personal religion on subjects.
How AU Supports
The US and Our Democracy
At Americans United for Separation of Church and State, we fight every day for the aspirational founding values our country has yet to live up to—the idea that we are all equal and endowed with unalienable rights, including religious freedom.
America has never achieved the aspirations in the Declaration, but AU’s work brings those dreams closer every day because church-state separation is freedom. Church-state separation is the foundation of:
Freedom of Thought
...upon which rest First Amendment freedoms of speech and assembly and press and petition.
True Religious Freedom
...which guarantees everyone's right to believe -- or not -- as we choose.
True Equality
...which allows all of us to live as we choose, as long as we don't harm others or trample others' rights.
Self-government and Democracy
...shielding our shared laws from any religion’s influence frees us to come together as equals and build a stronger democracy.
But What About?
“One Nation under God”
That’s a line from the 1950s, not the Declaration of Independence and not the Constitution.
The original Pledge of Allegiance was godless, just like our Constitution.
But during a time of fear and national crisis, Christian Nationalists pushed their god into the pledge. More than sixty years after the original was written, “one nation, indivisible” became “one nation, under God, indivisible.”
Christian Nationalists literally divided the indivisible with their god.
“One nation, under God” is not a founding sentiment—it’s a lie.
And when politicians trot the phrase out, it’s not because the phrase says anything about our founding or history or laws or government—it’s because they want to convince you that our government must favor them—and only them—at the expense of everyone else.
But the Declaration mentions God FOUR times!
Christian Nationalists who focus on these four passing mentions miss the humanity written throughout the Declaration.
The Declaration of Independence is based on an idea that is directly opposed to Christian Nationalism: the idea that “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed.”
This is the very foundation of the self-government ideal and an explicit rejection of a God-given government. That rejection is embodied (and rather heavily emphasized) in the first three words of the Constitution, “We the People.” Recall, that’s the document that actually created the United States and separated church and state. People give the government power and legitimacy, not a god or gods. The Constitution and the Declaration directly contradict this Christian Nationalist claim.
The Declaration founded America!
- Christian Nationalists hold the Declaration to be some kind of divine scripture, but its author, Thomas Jefferson wanted the Declaration to be “the signal . . . to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded [men] to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government.”
- The Declaration announced our independence from Britain; it did not create our country — the secular Constitution more than a decade later did.
- The Declaration is an important, beautiful document; but it did not establish or create the United States of America.
- The Declaration severed the colonies’ political ties with Great Britain. It did not create a new country or government. That’s the first sentence: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another…”
- The Declaration declared America’s freedom, but the Constitution created America and the Constitution is quite clear about keeping church and state separate.
- “It is much easier to pull down a Government… than to build up,” said John Adams.
