Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, Thomas Jefferson's own 1802 letter, articulates his reading of the First Amendment as building a wall of separation between church and state, a phrase that has since shaped American constitutional interpretation far beyond the letter's original context. Its strength is that it is the primary document itself, in Jefferson's own words. Its limit is that it is a private letter of political reassurance to a specific Baptist association, not a legal opinion or statute, and its later constitutional weight came from courts citing it rather than from any authority the letter claimed for itself; no publisher or url is given here because it survives as a historical manuscript letter rather than a standalone dated publication.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Thomas Jefferson's own 1802 Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, the top tier reflecting the primary document itself, in Jefferson's own words, articulating the wall of separation between church and state that later shaped American constitutional interpretation. Its limit is that it is a private letter of political reassurance to a specific Baptist association, not a legal opinion or statute, and its later constitutional weight came from courts citing it rather than from any authority the letter claimed for itself. NotesThomas Jefferson's own letter to the Danbury Baptist Association articulating a wall of separation between church and state, 1802.
Citation
AuthorThomas Jefferson
Publication Year1802
Source Typeprimary-text
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names Baptist directly: "Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, Thomas Jefferson's own 1802 letter, articulates his reading of the First Amendment as building a wall of separation between church and state, a phrase that..."
Claims Backed By This Source (11 claims)
This source backs 11 claims across the atlas. As facts: 9 well-attested. As cited relationships: 1 holds. Plus 1 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sources, 7 claims: 6 well-attested, 1 holds.
- Articles, 2 claims: 2 well-attested.
- Doctrines, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
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