The Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, was established in 1791 to guard against an oppressive national government by establishing certain rights.| The Free Speech Center
The origin of "wall of separation" came from Thomas Jefferson who used the phrase to reflect his understanding of the First Amendment's religion clauses.| The Free Speech Center
The 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was the driving force behind the religious clauses of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791.| The Free Speech Center
Freedom of religion guarantees the right to freely exercise one's faith and to be free from government imposition of religion.| The Free Speech Center
When the First Amendment was ratified, it did not eliminate established churches in states where they existed. Eventually, all established churches were disestablished.| The Free Speech Center
Many early American states required public officeholders to take religious oaths. In 1961, the Supreme Court said this requirement violated the First Amendment.| The Free Speech Center