Primary Source Series · Volume I
Faith and the Founding
The Federal & Colonial Records
What the founders wrote about God and government, in their own words. No commentary.
About this volume
Volume I gathers the federal and colonial record: the charters, compacts and foundational law by which the colonies constituted themselves, alongside the acts, proclamations, treaties and congressional records of the new republic. These are the documents in which governments, not individuals, spoke for themselves about worship, oaths, establishment and conscience.
The record runs from the first colonial charters through the Continental Congress, the framing of the Constitution, the proclamations and treaties of the early presidents, and the colonial codes, establishment laws and prosecutions that governed religious life before independence. Each document is reproduced in full from the authoritative text, in chronological and structural order.
What's inside
- Part A: The Federal Record. Documents 1 to 42.
- Continental, Provincial and Confederation Congresses, 1774 to 1782. Documents 1 to 9.
- The Federal Frame, 1787 to 1791. Documents 10 to 15.
- Presidential Acts and Denominational Replies, 1789 to 1809. Documents 16 to 33.
- Treaties of the United States, 1780 to 1805. Documents 34 to 42.
- Part B: The Colonial Foundations. Documents 43 to 74.
- Founding Compacts, Charters and Statements, 1620 to 1701. Documents 43 to 51.
- Colonial Codes and Religious Establishment, 1611 to 1708. Documents 52 to 60.
- Sabbath, Blasphemy and Conformity Laws, 1661 to 1705. Documents 61 to 69.
- Prosecutions and Enforcement Records, 1648 to 1666. Documents 70 to 74.
Inside this volume
The record, from the colonies to the new republic
Declaration of Independence
Continental Congress
Northwest Ordinance
The Federal Frame
U.S. Constitution
The Federal Frame
Treaty of Tripoli, 1796
Treaties of the United States
Mayflower Compact
Founding Compacts & Charters
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
Founding Compacts & Charters
Plus 68 more: charters, colonial laws, acts of Congress, proclamations and the congressional record.
Built for reference
Every document, ready to cite
- A headnote on every document: date, author or issuing body, and why it matters.
- Numbered paragraphs, so “Doc. 44, para. 1” points to exactly one passage.
- Original spelling and punctuation, reproduced in full from the authoritative text.
- An index by document and paragraph at the back.
Complete the set
Faith and the Founding, Volumes I to IV
