Description
Book SynopsisThomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State offers an in-depth examination of the origins, controversial uses, and competing interpretations of this powerful metaphor in law and public policy.
Trade ReviewIn the opinion of this reviewer, Dreisbach is undeniably correct. His research is thorough, and his analysis comports with the history of the period. Dreisbachs study of Jefferson's likely meaning when he utilized the phrase wall of separation makes a valuable contribution to an important area of the constitutional law, an area of great consequence to Christians. The fact that it is written by a law professor at a "top twenty" law school increases its significance and credibility in the scholar world. The book has a minimum of legal jargon and can easily be understood. Daniel Dreisbachs book is highly recommended. * Faith and Mission *
Daniel Dreisbachs book is a welcome and much needed addition to the scholarship on the First Amendment. Dreisbach analysis of Jefferson's metaphor, its political context, and consequences for church-state jurisprudence, provide an intellectual perspective as the Court and nation reconsider issues of accomodations of religion in the public square. * Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies *
On an evaluative note, the book is helpful for gaining an understanding of the historical context of Jeffersons metaphor. * Journal of Church and State *
This book is vintage Dreisbach. . . . Anyone studying Jefferson's views of separation would be wise to use Dreisbachs primary texts and to ponder his sage interpretation of them. This is a book that can be read in an evening, but pondered for a career. -- John Witte Jr.,Michigan Law Review
Excellent introduction to the thorny interpretive issues that continue to grow around Jefferson's wall. * The Journal of Southern History *
Table of Contents1 Introduction2 The President, a Mammoth Cheese, and the "Wall of Separation": Jeffersonian Politics and the New England Baptists 3 "Sowing Useful Truths and Principles"4 "What the Wall Separates" 5 Early References to a "Wall of Separation"6 Creating "Effectual Barriers"7 "Useful Truths and Principles ... Germinate and Become Rooted" in the American Mind: Jefferson's Metaphor Enters Political and Juridical Discourse 8 ConclusionAppendices1 Proclamation Appointing a Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer, May 17742 Address to the Inhabitants of the Parish of St. Anne, 1774 3 Bills Reported by the Committee of Revisors Appointed by the General Assembly of Virginia in 1776, 18 June 1779 4 Proclamation Appointing a Day of Publick and Solemn Thanksgiving and Prayer, November 1779 1375 Draft of "The Kentucky Resolutions of 1798," November 1798 (excerpt) 6 Correspondence with the Danbury Baptist Association, 1801-1802 1427 Correspondence with the Citizens of Chesire, Massachusetts, January 1802 1498 Second Inaugural Address, 4 March 1805 (excerpts) 9 Letter from Jefferson to the Reverend Samuel Miller, 23 January 1808 Notes Selected BibliographyAcknowledgmentsIndexAbout the Author
