Why do people claim that the USA was founded as a "Christian" nation when the 1796 treaty of Tripoli..........

Question

........ states otherwise. Let us not forget that this treaty was written not long after the founding of the US nation when many of the main players in the founding of the nation were still in power.

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

The mottos "In God we Trust" on coins came in 1861 after an appeal by Rev. M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville

The "under God" phrase was added to the pledge in 1954 after a campaign by the Catholic fraternal society the Knights of Columbus.

Answer 1

Because it is true !!!

Answer 2

Yes, but the point of saying that was that America was a nation with freedom of religion. Even if many of the people in the government of that time were Bible believing Christians they had to except what those people believed as well. They could not go and force Christianity on them through war are they would have been going against what the U.S. stood for.

Yet, to say that America wasn't a Christian nation in some sense would also not be true. When most of the people believed in God they were, in a sense, a Christian nation and when many don't they are not a Christian nation. So, yes by law they are but by believe that's different, but right now I'd say they are less of a Christian nation than they were in 1796.

Answer 3

At the time of the Treaty and for 300 years prior, the Mediterranean Sea lanes were largely controlled by the north African Muslim states of the Barbary Coast (Tripoli, Algiers, Morocco, and Tunis) through piracy. Hostages were either ransomed or sold into slavery. Over time, most countries found it expedient to simply pay a yearly tribute (bribe) to the Barbary sultans in exchange for safe passage through the Mediterranean.

Following the American Revolution, America was no longer under the protection of the British tribute treaties, resulting in the crippling of American commerce in the Mediterranean. Having no significant Navy, the U.S. decided to form tribute treaties with the Barbary states, such as this 1796 Treaty of Tripoli.

In March 1801, the pasha of Tripoli demanded more tribute than previously agreed upon. The newly inaugurated U.S. President, Thomas Jefferson, having long disagreed with the policy of paying tribute, refused the pasha's demand. On May 10, 1801, the pasha declared war on the United States.

On June 4, 1805, under the imminent threat of U.S. action, Tobias Lear negotiated the Treaty of Peace and Amity with the Pasha Yusuf. To the dismay of many Americans, this included a ransom of $60,000 paid for the release of prisoners from the Philadelphia and several American merchant ships.

By 1807, Algiers had gone back to taking American ships and seamen hostage. Distracted by the preludes to the War of 1812, the Americans were unable to respond to the provocations until 1815, with the Second Barbary War, thereby concluding the encompassing Tripolian War (1800-1815).

So, what's your point here? Treaties involve BOTH sides maintaining the accord, don't they? Failure to do so by either one renders the treaty invalid.

So, learn a lesson, get your history right before you jump to conclusions about antiquated facts.

Answer 4

George Washington and the Patriots met at a church, the "South Church" in Boston to discuss issues and strategy that led to independence from England. Without the sanctuary of the church, they might not have been able to pull it off, because everywhere else in the colony, there was martial law, British soldiers entering people's houses at will, and surveilance and control tactics. Christians should be thankful that they got freedom from tyrranny of the new giant superpower, England, which previously gained territories all around the world in India, parts of China, and almost all of North America.

Non-christians should be thankful for the church being a place they could develop intentions and plans to get freedom from tyrranny and create something more constructive, a nation with self-determination and strong values for freedom that allows you to be athiest if you want to be. Thats a main value of TRUE Christianity, its democratic, its your choice, and the country was designed to allow you the same liberty.

Answer 5

The 1797 Treaty of Tripoli replaced into incredibly drafted by using Washington himself!! I asked this same question each week in the past - and it replaced into deleted for "own communications" - for sure I offended somebody with information.... And, please observe that "In God We believe" replaced into purely positioned on money contained in the State of Florida in 1861 - no longer the rustic. It wasnt extra to the international locations coinage until the 1950's to boot... right here's a prediction: countless peoplee shall respond and say that "no one claims it replaced into in line with Christian faith, purely christian VALUES." Like splitting hairs changes the argument...

Answer 6

You are taking a single act of history and using it as your premise. Any Professor of American History would give an "F" on your assignment. American was founded in the colonial days. ALL of the colonist that came over were Christians who were escaping persecution in England and on the Continent. The Constitution was written based on Christian principles. Americans have always held to their Christian heritage and have firmly rejected the absurd ways of Islam and Eastern religions. The language in foreign treaties is often political and not binding on the culture of any people.

Answer 7

ABSOLUTELY..!!!!

People are lemmings and will not take the time to look up anything these days. They blindly accept what is put in front of them as the 'truth' because they are too lazy.


we live in the times of 'automatic information retrieval' and yet people still cling to the old archaic misconceptions.


The Puritans were 'invited to leave England'...... because they were viewed as a backwards, cult-like, group that refused to follow mainstream religion. One of the reason they got 'asked to leave' ended up being the fact that they still believed in 'Witches'. The Salem Witch trials, if they had even been STARTED in England would have been squashed immediately.

It was 'Freedom of Religion" that our forefathers left England, it was 'Freedom from Puritanical Culthood' that they were thrown out of England.

Answer 8

there are lots of references on why that "treaty" was signed
which includes the resulting War of 1812

there is the English Interpetation and the Muslim..

when the treaty was broken in 1805 the ship "the Philadelphia"
was taken hostage by the "Barbay Pirates" and a $60k ransom was paid..
the treaty was made and entered into for this reason..

Answer 9

It was founded as a political nation. The Constitution is something that God might approve of, if there were a God.
(And nobody is even considering the possibility of a bad God, and a good God would like it.)

Answer 10

We were not founded on any religion.... we were founded on christian principles... big difference. Even the muslim religion was founded on christian principles... Mohamed was a christian you know.... that does not make them a christian religion. If you really want an understanding of "freedom of religion" you have to study European history. Having lived in Germany for 6 years you can get the real perspective of what it was all about that brought about that concern for our founding fathers... it was freedom OF religion... not freedom FROM religion.

Answer 11

the country was, indeed, founded as a Christian nation. The government however was created apart from the Christian beliefs of the majority of it's citizens so as not to infringe on the rights of non-christians.