American Minute for June 21st:
The U.S. Constitution went into effect JUNE 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratified it. The 55 writers of the U.S. Constitution consisted of: 26 Episcopalian Christians, 11 Presbyterian Christians, 7 Congregationalist Christians, 2 Lutheran Christians, 2 Dutch Reformed Christians, 2 Methodist Christians, 2 Quaker Christians, 2 Roman Catholic Christians, and 1 Deist Christian - Dr. Franklin, who called for prayer during the Constitutional Convention, June 28, 1787: "God Governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that 'except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.'...I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel...I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business." Ben Franklin signed Pennsylvania's Constitution, Sept. 28, 1776, which stated: "Each member, before he takes his seat, shall make and subscribe the following declaration, viz: I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the Universe, the Rewarder of the good and the Punisher of the wicked. And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration." The Journal of the U.S. House of Representatives, March 27, 1854, recorded the unanimous vote of the 33rd Congress to print Congressman James Meacham's report, which stated: "At the adoption of the Constitution, we believe every State - certainly 10 of the 13 - provided as regularly for the support of the Church as for the support of the Government...Down to the Revolution, every colony did sustain religion in some form. It was deemed peculiarly proper that the religion of liberty should be upheld by a free people." Congressman Meacham concluded: "Had the people, during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle."
Endnotes
Franklin, Benjamin. Jun. 28, 1787. James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (NY: W.W. Morton & Co., Original 1787 reprinted 1987), Vol. I, p. 504, 451-21. James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 1966, 1985), pp. 209-10. Henry D. Gilpin, editor, The Papers of James Madison (Washington: Langtree & O' Sullivan, 1840), Vol. II, p. 985. George Bancroft, Bancroft's History of the Constitution of the United States vols. I-X (Boston: Charles C. Little & James Brown, 1838), Vol. II. Albert Henry Smyth, ed., The Writings of Benjamin Franklin (NY: The Macmillan Co., 1905-7), Vol. IX, pp. 600-601. Gaillard Hunt & James B. Scott, ed., The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 Which Framed the Constitution of the United States of America, reported by James Madison (NY: Oxford University Press, 1920), pp. 181-182. Andrew M. Allison, W. Cleon Skousen, & M. Richard Maxfield, The Real Benjamin Franklin (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Freeman Institute, 1982, pp. 258-259. John Eidsmoe, Christianity & the Constitution - The Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, A Mott Media Book, 1987, 6th printing 1993), pp. 12-13, 208. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), pp. 122-124. Stephen Abbott Northrop, D.D., A Cloud of Witnesses (Portland, OR: American Heritage Ministries, 1987; Mantle Ministries, 228 Still Ridge, Bulverde, TX), p. 159-160. D.P. Diffine, Ph.D., One Nation Under God - How Close a Separation? (Searcy, AR: Harding University, Belden Center for Private Enterprise Education, 6th edition, 1992), p. 8. Stephen McDowell & Mark Beliles, "The Providential Perspective" (Charlottesville, VA: The Providence Foundation, P.O. Box 6759, Charlottesville, Va. 22906, Jan. 1994), Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 5-6. The Journal of the U.S. House of Representatives, March 27, 1854, recorded the 33rd Congress? unanimous vote to print Connecticut Congressman James Meacham?s report on the history and benefit of continuing the tradition of chaplains in Congress, army and navy. http://www.usconstitution.net/constframedata.html
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