Bringing you the "Good News" of Jesus Christ and His Church While PROMOTING CATHOLIC Apologetic Support groups loyal to the Holy Father and Church's magisterium
Home About
AskACatholic.com
What's New? Resources The Church Family Life Mass and
Adoration
Ask A Catholic
Knowledge base
AskACatholic Disclaimer
Search the
AskACatholic Database
Donate and
Support our work
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
New Questions
Cool Catholic Videos
About Saints
Disciplines and Practices for distinct Church seasons
Purgatory and Indulgences
About the Holy Mass
About Mary
Searching and Confused
Contemplating becoming a Catholic or Coming home
Homosexual and Gender Issues
Life, Dating, and Family
No Salvation Outside the Church
Sacred Scripture
non-Catholic Cults
Justification and Salvation
The Pope and Papacy
The Sacraments
Relationships and Marriage situations
Specific people, organizations and events
back
Doctrine and Teachings
Specific Practices
Church Internals
Church History


Mike Humphrey wrote:

Hi, guys —

I was talking to my cousin Justin about the founding fathers of the United States, especially those who signed the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution.

Because of the anti-Christian culture in America, I was hoping you could clear up for us, what faith they adhered to and dispel rumors I've heard about some of them.

I told him I thought they were Protestant Puritans (Christians) but I wasn't sure.

  • By some long shot, were any of these guys Catholic?

Mike


  { What faith did the those who signed the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence have? }

Mary Ann replied:

Hi, Mike —

I can say that at least two of them, if not more, were Catholics:

The Carroll's of Carrollton, one a priest and Archbishop and, the other, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Mary Ann

John replied:

Hi, Mike —

Most of them were some kind of Protestant denomination, some of them were Deists and there were a couple of Catholics.

The revisionists like to play up the fact that a couple of the big names like Jefferson and Franklin were Deists or had Deist inclinations.

What they don't tell you is that Franklin sponsored the Preaching Tours of Jonathan Edwards during the Great Awakening, which was a great Evangelical Revival where many lukewarm Protestants had radical conversions to Christ.

John

Mike replied:

Thanks guys —

I took the time and did some research on the issues. Here are the results. Use the (Top) just to the right of each section description to come back to the top of the page.

39 Signers of the United States Constitution.

56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Percentage of Religious Affiliation
( for both Signers of the United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence.)

Sources:

 


39 Signers of the United States Constitution in alphabetical order, by last name.


By Last Name (Top)

Abraham Baldwin Congregationalist
Richard Bassett Methodist
Gunning Bedford, Jr.  Presbyterian
John Blair Episcopalian
William Blount Presbyterian
David Brearly Episcopalian
Jacob Broom Lutheran
Pierce Butler Episcopalian
 
Daniel Carroll Roman Catholic 
George Clymer Quaker/Episcopalian 
 
Jonathan Dayton Episcopalian 
John Dickinson Quaker/Episcopalian
 
William Few Methodist
Thomas Fitzsimons Roman Catholic
Benjamin Franklin Episcopalian (Deist)
 
Nicholas Gilman Congregationalist
Nathaniel Gorham Congregationalist 
 
Alexander Hamilton Episcopalian
 
Jared Ingersoll Presbyterian 
 
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Episcopalian
William S. Johnson Episcopalian
 
Rufus King Episcopalian
 
John Langdon Congregationalist 
William Livingston Presbyterian 
 
James Madison Episcopalian
James McHenry Presbyterian
Thomas Mifflin Quaker/Lutheran
Gouverneur Morris Episcopalian
Robert Morris Episcopalian
 
William Paterson Presbyterian
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney  Episcopalian 
Charles Pinckney Episcopalian 
 
George Read Episcopalian
John Rutledge Episcopalian 
 
Roger Sherman Congregationalist
Richard D. Spaight Episcopalian
 
George Washington Episcopalian 
Hugh Williamson Presbyterian/Deist
James Wilson Episcopalian/Deist 


By Religion/Faith
(Top)

Abraham Baldwin Congregationalist
Nicholas Gilman
Nathaniel Gorham
John Langdon
Roger Sherman
John Blair Episcopalian
David Brearly
Pierce Butler
Jonathan Dayton
Alexander Hamilton
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer
William S. Johnson
Rufus King
James Madison
Gouverneur Morris
Robert Morris
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
Charles Pinckney
George Read
John Rutledge
Richard D. Spaight
George Washington
Benjamin Franklin Episcopalian (Deist)
James Wilson
Jacob Broom Lutheran
Richard Bassett Methodist
William Few
Gunning Bedford, Jr. Presbyterian
William Blount
Jared Ingersoll
William Livingston
James McHenry
William Paterson
Hugh Williamson Presbyterian/Deist
George Clymer Quaker/Episcopalian
John Dickinson
Thomas Mifflin Quaker/Lutheran
Daniel Carroll Roman Catholic
Thomas Fitzsimons


56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence in alphabetical order, by last name.

By Last Name (Top)

John Adams Unitarian
Samuel Adams Congregationalist
 
Josiah Bartlett Congregationalist
Carter Braxton Episcopalian 
 
Charles Carroll of Carrollton Roman Catholic
Samuel Chase Episcopalian 
Abraham Clark Presbyterian 
George Clymer Quaker/Episcopalian
 
William Ellery Congregationalist
 
William Floyd Presbyterian 
Benjamin Franklin Episcopalian (Deist)
 
Elbridge Gerry Episcopalian
Button Gwinnett Episcopalian
 
Lyman Hall Congregationalist
John Hancock Congregationalist
Benjamin Harrison Unknown
John Hart Presbyterian
Joseph Hewes Episcopalian
Thomas Heyward Jr. Unknown
William Hooper Episcopalian
Stephen Hopkins Unknown
Francis Hopkinson Episcopalian
Samuel Huntington Congregationalist
 
Thomas Jefferson Episcopalian (Deist)
 
Francis Lightfoot Lee Unknown
Richard Henry Lee Unknown
Francis Lewis Unknown
Philip Livingston Presbyterian
Thomas Lynch Jr. Unknown
 
Thomas McKean Presbyterian
Arthur Middleton Unknown
Lewis Morris Unknown
Robert Morris Episcopalian
John Morton Unknown
 
Thomas Nelson Jr. Unknown
 
William Paca Episcopalian
Robert Treat Paine Congregationalist
John Penn Unknown
 
George Read Episcopalian
Caesar Rodney Episcopalian
George Ross Unknown
Benjamin Rush Presbyterian
Edward Rutledge Anglican
 
Roger Sherman Congregationalist
James Smith Presbyterian
Richard Stockton Presbyterian
Thomas Stone Episcopalian
 
George Taylor Presbyterian
Matthew Thornton Presbyterian
 
George Walton Anglican
William Whipple Congregationalist
William Williams Congregationalist
James Wilson Episcopalian (Deist)
John Witherspoon Presbyterian
Oliver Wolcott Congregationalist
George Wythe Episcopalian


By Religion/Faith (Top)

Edward Rutledge Anglican
George Walton
Samuel Adams Congregationalist
Josiah Bartlett
William Ellery
Lyman Hall
John Hancock
Samuel Huntington
Robert Treat Paine
Roger Sherman
William Whipple
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
Elbridge Gerry Episcopalian
Button Gwinnett
Joseph Hewes
William Hooper
Francis Hopkinson
Robert Morris
William Paca
George Read
Caesar Rodney
Thomas Stone
George Wythe
Carter Braxton
Samuel Chase
Benjamin Franklin Episcopalian (Deist)
Thomas Jefferson
James Wilson
John Hart Presbyterian
Philip Livingston
Thomas McKean
Benjamin Rush
James Smith
Richard Stockton
George Taylor
Matthew Thornton
John Witherspoon
Abraham Clark
William Floyd
George Clymer Quaker/Episcopalian
Charles Carroll of Carrollton Roman Catholic
John Adams Unitarian
Benjamin Harrison Unknown
Thomas Heyward Jr.
Stephen Hopkins
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Richard Henry Lee
Francis Lewis
Thomas Lynch Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Lewis Morris
John Morton
Thomas Nelson Jr.
John Penn
George Ross


Percentage of Religious Affiliation (Top)
(for both Signers of the United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence.)

The table below makes it pretty clear that a majority of both the Signers of the United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence were Christians; at least 86 percent!

Episcopalian 32 %
Presbyterian 18 %
Congregationalist 17 %
Unknown 14 %
Episcopalian or Presbyterian (Deist) 5 %
Quaker/Episcopalian 3 %
Roman Catholic 3 %
Anglican 2 %
Methodist 2 %
Lutheran 1 %
Unitarian 1 %
Quaker/Lutheran 1 %
Deist 1 %
Please report any and all typos or grammatical errors.
Suggestions for this web page and the web site can be sent to Mike Humphrey
© 2012 Panoramic Sites
The Early Church Fathers Church Fathers on the Primacy of Peter. The Early Church Fathers on the Catholic Church and the term Catholic. The Early Church Fathers on the importance of the Roman Catholic Church centered in Rome.