Comparing Declaration Of Independence And Thomas Jefferson's Letter To The Danbury Baptist

Upon reading the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptist, many commonalities can be seen in the wording of the documents and the spirit in which they were written. In all three documents the Framers of the Constitution’s belief in a Biblical worldview is apparent. A Biblical worldview holds that God is the answer to the questions of: what is the origin, nature, and destiny of the cosmos and what is the origin nature, role, and destiny of man (Martin, 2006). While this commonality exists between all three documents, they also differ in many aspects such as, tone, intended audience and purpose. To be able to understand the commonalities and differences between the three documents a summary needs to be given of the three documents. The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4, 1776. It was, as the title suggests a declaration of independence from Great Britain. This was an impassioned declaration sent to the King of Great Britain to declare their intent to secede from Great …show more content…
In contrast to the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, written on September 19, 1787, is a structured, apathetic, set of guidelines for how the newly founded country was to be governed. The United States Constitution, was intended to be for all citizens of the United States to provide clear guidelines for the country. One of these guidelines was three separate branches of government to allow for proper checks and balance of those in power. Again, this harkens to a Biblical worldview which states that government is a gift from God in order to establish order in a fallen world (Martin, 2006). This worldview also establishes the importance of a separation between church of state, which is reaffirmed in Thomas Jefferson’s letters to the Danbury