At the core of our republic are the ideas of liberty, equality, and justice. As a nation we have held these three fundamentals as the pillars of our very society. Our Bill of Rights itself embodies these core beliefs. It has been the paramount struggle of this country to interpret these rights, and to apply them to “the people.” But who are “the people.” Who was speaking when our preamble opened, “We the People…?”

In the first half of the nineteenth century, “We the People…” were white males, most of whom owned property. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, “

Jefferson’s recognition of religious belief as purely a personal matter between man and his god or lack thereof, is clearly stated in his letter written to the Danbury Baptists in 1802, “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

This flawed logic is a disservice to the spirit of American liberty. As a free republic, the United States was founded with the idea that all citizens are equal and entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And within this pursuit, every American has the right to make choices within their personal lives, as long as their choices do not infringe on the rights of another. It is this fundamental pillar of liberty that is so hotly contested today in the debate over same-sex marriages. The President of the United States, George W. Bush, has proposed an amendment to the Constitution, which would define marriage as a union between a man and woman. This in effect, would impose on the homosexual citizens of the United States, a strictly religious value, held by the President, and arguably the majority of Americans. The Constitution guarantees that the government will not legislate establishment of any church. And implied by this clause, as pointed out by Justice Black, is the guarantee that the government will also not legislate in favor of any church doctrine. And as the disapproval of homosexuality as a lifestyle choice is inherently a religious value, not held by every American, it is not an issue of legislative eligibility. To erect a wall between the heterosexual and homosexual communities, defining one as entitled to a right and another as not, is un-Constitutional and inherently un-American.

the People” was extended to African-American males, though not successfully until the mid-twentieth century. With the Nineteenth Amendment, women were finally included as members of our “Club-Americana.” There is no question that equality has been an uphill climb even in the land of the free.

A friend and contemporary of both, George Washington and James Madison, third American President, Thomas Jefferson, was undoubtedly the most outspoken advocate for the separation of church and state. From what we know of Jefferson and from what we can read in his own words, it is fairly evident that Jefferson was not an orthodox Christian. At best, he was a Christian humanist, but in all likelihood he was more of a deist and most definitely a rationalist. Therefore it is easy to assume that Jefferson himself was uncomfortable with the possibility of a strictly Christian, possibly puritanical government, being established in the new country. Jefferson valued free thought, and the right to have new and even controversial ideas. He valued the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, and wished to protect the individual liberties of not only the states, but the individual American citizen as well.

Though stirring are the words written by Jefferson and others, it is important to note that though writing a three-page letter about Washington’s character, Jefferson does not mention the Christian faith, or even God once. More striking are Washington’s own words or lack there of in reference to faith. It seems as if Washington only invoked the name of God, when speaking of blessings on the republic and on the cause of liberty. He eloquently tied Christianity and patriotism together. And since the time of Washington, this patriotic faith has been practiced fervently in America, as seen following the events of Septem

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