Early Congress & States: Religion Necessary for Public Prosperity

The U.S. Library of Congress is a treasure trove of information about American History. In their online exhibit Faith of Our Forefathers, they show us that faith was important in our early history. According to the Library, both the Federal and the State governments at the time believed that religion is good for the public prosperity of the United States of America.

"The Continental-Confederation Congress, the first national government of the United States, was convinced that the "public prosperity" of a society depended on the vitality of its religion. Nothing less than a "spirit of universal reformation among all ranks and degrees of our citizens," Congress declared to the American people on March 19, 1782, would "make us a holy, that so we may be a happy, people."

"That religion was necessary for "public prosperity" was an opinion that found expression not only in Congress but in the state legislatures of the new American republic as well. The connection between religion and the public welfare seemed so obvious to the public at large that it was articulated by its representatives at every level of government."

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Faith of Our Forefathers