American government and politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American government and politics - Essay ExampleThis vexes me the most of any thing whatever. thither are at this time in the adjacent County not less than 5 or 6 well meaning men in smashed Gaol dispose for publishing their religious Sentiments which in the main are very orthodox. I have neither the patience to hear talk or count on any thing relative to this matter, for I have squabbled and scolded abused and ridiculed so long about it, to so little purpose that I am without ballpark patience. So I leave you to pity me and pray for Liberty of Conscience to revive among us. (capital of Wisconsin, 111)According to church-state scholar Robert Alley, this incident was pivotal in the young capital of Wisconsins life. Madison had recently graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and was un convinced(predicate) what to do with his life. Dogged by frequent illness, the frail and undersized Madison was not even sure he would live much longer. Learning about th ose preachers in prison gave him a cause and seemed to reenergize him.It is the general opinion, I think, of the scholars who have written about Madison that that was a key point in Madisons life, Alley said. The thing that drove him to get involved in politics was seeing those men in jail in Culpeper County. (Madison, 113)Madison soon had the opportunit... The attempt at disestablishment failed, but Madisons ideas on religious superfluousdom were included in an Article on Religion that was pick out by the Convention. The statement held that godliness can be directed only by reason and conviction, not force or violence and guaranteed to all the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience. (Madison, 119)Here Madison was responsible for a great leap forward in thinking. At the Revolutionary Convention, delegate George Mason had proposed an amendment guaranteeing espousal of all faiths. To Madison, this did not go far enough. He sought to expand religious lib erty rights beyond mere toleration and argued for the free exercise of religion -- a concept that would later resurface in the First Amendment. Even though his attempt at disestablishing the state church failed, Madison had planted an Copernican seed. Three years later Jefferson made another attempt at disestablishing the Anglican Episcopal Church in Virginia and securing passage of a general religious freedom bill. The move was unsuccessful, but seven years later, after the Revolution, Madison took up the cause and pushed both measures through. It was during this struggle that Madison penned what is considered one of the greatest American documents on religious freedom The Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments. Despite its somewhat unwieldy title, the Memorial and Remonstrance still stands today as a potent indictment of church-state union. Madisons appeal was written in response to a drive in the Virginia Assembly, led by Patrick Henry, to use tax funds to pay for teachers of the Christian religion. The Remonstrance lists