Original 13 : A Documentary History Of Religion In Americas First Thirteen

“The whole power over the subject of religion is left exclusively to the State governments, to be acted upon according to their State Constitutions,” wrote Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story in his Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833. Joseph Story founded Harvard Law School and was appointed to the Supreme Court by President James Madison-the same James Madison who introduced the First Amendment in the first session of Congress. To understand the progression of religious freedom, one must review the Constitutions of the original thirteen States and the Colonial Charters that preceded them, i.e.: VIRGINIA CHARTER 1606″…propagating of Christian Religion to such People as yet live in Darkness…” DELAWARE CHARTER 1626″…further propagating of the Holy Gospel…” MASSACHUSETTS CONSTITUTION 1780,”Every denomination of Christians…shall be equally under the protection of the law and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another shall ever be established…”