Founding Fathers Who Were Ministers 3

Numerous ministers likewise served in the first federal Congress that framed the Bill of Rights. In addition to those just mentioned were the Revs. Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, Abiel Foster, Benjamin Contee, John Peter Muhlenberg, Paine Wingate. In fact, the Rev. Frederick Muhlenberg was elected the first Speaker of the US House of Representatives, where he became one of only two who signed the Bill of Rights.  

Among the scores of other ministers who made significant contributions to America’s civil liberties were individuals such as Baptist pastors Isaac Backus and John Leland, who advocated for religious freedom at both the state and national levels. Leland also worked with noted leaders such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to ensure religious freedom protections in the federal Bill of Rights.

And the Rev. Manassas Cutler was an author of the Northwest Ordinance, which was adopted by the Confederation Congress 1787 and reauthorized by the first federal Congress. The important piece of legislation banned slavery and protected religious liberty in the federal territory that would eventually become multiple states.

Many additional clergy could also be named, especially those who served at the state and local levels, but it is clear that the number of American clergy who held public office or directly influenced public policy in the 17th and 18th centuries was large. And clergy contributed not only on the political side but also on the military side, where many experienced active combat, led soldiers in battle, or became officers.

Content sourced from The American Story The Beginnings by David Barton and Tim Barton