Under God: George Washington and the Question of Church and State (Hardcover)

by Tara Ross (Author), Joseph C. Smith Jr. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Ross and Smith restore George Washington's view of church and state to its proper place in history, which will inevitably change what we think and say in the present. Hint: He and Thomas Jefferson didn't see eye to eye. --Richard Brookhiser<br /><br />Ross and Smith's study of Washington illuminates the question of church and state in America in remarkable ways. They have written a truly enlightening and though-provoking book. --William Kristol, Editor, The Weekly Standard<br /><br />Under God examines a subject that has long deserved careful attention. This book is a must-read for every patriotic citizen. --Edwin Meese, Former US Attorney General

Ross and Smith's study of Washington illuminates the question of church and state in America in remarkable ways. They have written a truly enlightening and though-provoking book. --William Kristol, Editor, The Weekly Standard

Under God examines a subject that has long deserved careful attention. This book is a must-read for every patriotic citizen. --Edwin Meese, Former US Attorney General

Product Description
No American living in 1800 would have predicted that Thomas Jefferson s idiosyncratic views on church and state would ever eclipse those of George Washington let alone become constitutional dogma. Yet today's Supreme Court guards no doctrine more fiercely than Jefferson's antagonistic wall of separation between church and state. Washington's sharply contrasting views, explored in this path-breaking new book, suggest a more reasonable interpretation of the First Amendment, one that is consistent with religion s importance to the enterprise of democracy.

The most admired man of his age, Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention and was president when religious freedom was enshrined in the Bill of Rights. His claim to constitutional authority is considerably more impressive than the brilliant but eccentric Jefferson's. Washington considered religion essential for the virtue required of self-governing citizens. Though careful not to favor particular sects, he believed that a democracy must not merely accommodate religion but encourage it.

Ross and Smith combine a study of Washington's thought with a copious appendix containing the full texts of his letters, speeches, and official documents on issues of church and state. They present his views chronologically, devoting a chapter to each stage of his career: young regimental officer, colonial legislator, commander in chief of the Continental Army, head of the Constitutional Convention, and president of the United States. An epilogue explains how Jefferson's separationist perspective achieved its disproportional influence on the modern Supreme Court.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Spence Pub (February 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890626732
• ISBN-13: 978-1890626730
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #602,964 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Book For Anyone Who Cares About Church-State Issues, February 1, 2008

By	Ian Fletcher (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an outstanding book for anyone who cares about church-and-state issues in America. The authors demonstrate that American jurisprudence has mistakenly relied far too much upon Thomas Jefferson's separationist views on the subject, while in fact George Washington's views deserve as much (if not more) authority. Washington, unlike the Deist intellectual Jefferson, was a traditional Christian gentleman, and he saw religion as a legitimate component of American government, not as something to be quarantined as merely abstract or purely personal. The authors document Washington's views without hectoring and with careful attention to the documentary details of the historical record and an educated understanding of the American legal system. (Joseph Smith is a former Deputy Attorney General of Colorado.) This book is a must for thinking conservatives of all stripes.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Theistic republic, May 23, 2008

By	B. D. Weimer "lex rex" (Minnesota, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

All the founders were monotheists -- Christians and Deists -- who believed that God was essential to the republican experiment. It was the two most Deistic founders, Jefferson and Franklin, who insisted that our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, have a firmly monotheistic rationale for the break with Britain.

Thus, it has long frustrated traditional thinkers that Jefferson's "wall of separation" language, meant to protect churches from government interference, has been taken out of context and used to supplant the founders' vision of government support for religion.

Authors Ross and Smith have properly shifted the focus from Jefferson to Washington. They point out that Jefferson was in France during the Constitutional Convention, and was not in the Congress for the debates over the First Amendment; thus his understanding of the drafters' intent is of secondary importance. By contrast, George Washington was both the President of the Constitutional Convention and the President of the United States during the First Amendment debates and ratification; thus his understanding of the drafters' intent is of primary importance.

Ross and Smith carefully document George Washington's firm conviction, expressed throughout his life, that the government must actively support monotheism, rather than be a neutral and secular bystander. Thus, in his 1795 Thanksgiving Proclamation, President Washington reminded the country of its duty "to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experience."

By placing the focus on Washington's views, the authors have helped to restore the monotheistic framework of all the founders (including Jefferson). To avoid the lure of tyranny, the government should respect the God-given rights of its citizens, and should support the monotheism that informs our republic.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adds an Important Perspective, February 25, 2008

By	Dr3rdEye (Oak Hill, VA) - See all my reviews

My own views on the proper place of religion in the public life are a lot closer to Jefferson's than Washington's and, even that perspective, I think this is a vital book. For me, its single most important contribution to the debate was the clear conception that Washington--and for that matter--Thomas Jefferson had religious policy positions that may have been distinct from their own personal beliefs. I had really bought whole hog into the idea, implied by Joseph Ellis and Gordon Wood among others, that Washington's personal lack of outward religious devotion was a good statement of his public policy position. Public policy positions about religion aren't--and shouldn't be--directly connected to personal belief.
Since it contains an extensive, although not exhaustive, selection of Washington's writings on religion, it's also an important reference work that belongs in most libraries.