New Exhibit Highlights the Bible’s Role in America’s Founding
A unique collection of original letters, family Bibles, and artifacts from the founding era sheds light on how the Bible influenced the establishment of the nation.
Displayed at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., the new collection, marking America’s 250th anniversary, delves into the Bible’s impact during the nation’s formative years through original documents and historical items.
The exhibits feature the first Bible printed in English in America, home Bibles belonging to several Founding Fathers and notable individuals, and Thomas Jefferson’s original correspondence regarding religious freedom.
These documents collectively illustrate how biblical language shaped discussions around freedom, education, and public life during the Founding Era.
According to Anthony Schmidt, the museum’s director of collections and curation, this collection uses primary sources to scrutinize the Bible’s significance in early American history.
“The Bible was central to the founding and history of this country,” Schmidt stated. “It’s not just a theological assertion; the documents reveal this. The Founding Fathers relied on the Bible, made arguments from it, and built a political framework of human dignity and liberty based on its teachings.”
One section of the exhibit showcases how integral the Bible was in daily life back then, presenting the first Bible printed in English alongside home Bibles of the Founders and other historical figures.
Schmidt noted that the chosen items aim to highlight the Bible’s influence not only on religious practices but also on early American art, education, and politics.
Another part of the exhibit examines the intersection of faith and government, showcasing Jefferson’s writings on religious freedom and one of the earliest arguments against tyranny.
Visitors can also encounter Revolutionary prints that helped unite the colonies, documents that detail early Jewish civic life in America, portraits of George Washington, hand-colored lithographs of Abraham Lincoln, and busts of both Washington and Benjamin Franklin.
Schmidt emphasized a key objective of the collection: to invite visitors to engage directly with original historical documents.
“We aim for our visitors to confront this country’s history and, through primary sources, see how the Bible truly influenced the founders,” he remarked.
He added that although the Founding Fathers had differing views on religion, many were nonetheless influenced by biblical ideas and language. “It’s clear that while they often disagreed about religion, they were nonetheless shaped by the Bible’s words and arguments,” Schmidt observed. “We want people to examine the evidence and arrive at their own judgments.”
