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One of the causes of the revolution was fear that the British government was about to impose on the American colonies a bishop from the Anglican [[Church of England]].

One of the causes of the revolution was fear that the British government was about to impose on the American colonies a bishop from the Anglican [[Church of England]].

The [[Declaration of Independence]] acknowledges the existence of a God when it refers to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and says all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights."  That statement was inserted by the author,  [[Thomas Jefferson]], a Deist.  Most Americans were Protestants; the Anglican Church of England, which had been the eestablished church in several colonies, was disestablished. That is, it was no longer supported by taxes.  Massachusetts and Connecticut later dropped their taxpayer support of the Congregational Church, and the principle of legal separation of church and state became established.

The [[Declaration of Independence]] acknowledges the existence of a God when it refers to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and says all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights."  That statement was inserted by the author,  [[Thomas Jefferson]], a Deist.  Most Americans were Protestants; the Anglican Church of England, which had been the established church in several colonies, was disestablished. That is, it was no longer supported by taxes.  Massachusetts and Connecticut later dropped their taxpayer support of the Congregational Church, and the principle of legal separation of church and state became established.

 

==Bill of Rights==

==Bill of Rights==

[[James Madison]] in 1791 wrote the [[First Amendment]] to the U.S. Constitution, stating "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."  The first clause is referred to as the [[Establishment Clause]], and the second the [[Free Exercise Clause]]. An informal letter that President Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists, called the First Amendment as "a wall of separation between Church and State."<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists], January 1, 1802. Retrieved November 11, 2008.</ref>

[[James Madison]] in 1791 wrote the [[First Amendment]] to the U.S. Constitution, stating "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."  The first clause is referred to as the [[Establishment Clause]], and the second the [[Free Exercise Clause]]. An informal letter that President Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists, called the First Amendment as "a wall of separation between Church and State."<ref>[http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists], January 1, 1802. Retrieved November 11, 2008.</ref>