Primary Source Series · Volume III
Faith and the Founding
The Early Presidents
Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison on God and government, in their own words. No commentary.
About this volume
Volume III turns from the institutions of the founding to the men. It gathers the first four presidents writing about religion and the civil order: what government owes to God, what it owes to conscience, and where the line between the two was thought to run. Here are letters, diary entries, state papers, proclamations, memoranda and public essays, some written for the public and some never meant to leave a desk drawer.
The volume is arranged by author and, within each author, in the order the documents were written, so a reader can follow one mind across a lifetime. These men did not agree with one another, and none of them agreed with himself in every season. Ten documents, among them Jefferson’s Autobiography and Madison’s Detached Memoranda, are excerpted to their passages on religion and civil government. Every other document is printed in full.
What's inside
- George Washington. Documents 1 to 4, 1775 to 1790.
- John Adams. Documents 5 to 27, 1761 to 1820.
- Thomas Jefferson. Documents 28 to 54.
- James Madison. Documents 55 to 92, 1773 to 1833.
Inside this volume
Four presidents, in their own hands
Letters, diaries, proclamations and state papers, 1761 to 1833
To the Clergy of Newport, Rhode Island
George Washington
To the Massachusetts Militia
John Adams
Notes on Virginia, Query XVII
Thomas Jefferson
Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments
James Madison
Amendments to the Constitution, June 8, 1789
James Madison
To Jasper Adams
James Madison
Plus 86 more: letters, diary entries, proclamations, memoranda and public essays.
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
