America, Under God?

Marion Smith / June 28, 2010

Yesterday, was an official day of prayer in the Gulf Coast states. Earlier this month the Louisiana legislature passed a resolution which recognized an “opportunity to humble ourselves before our Almighty God” and “pray for a solution” to the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal soon proclaimed June 27, 2010 a Day of Prayer and was joined by the governors of Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. Despite mounting criticism of this appeal to a higher power, the simple fact is that the governments of these states were participating in an action very familiar to the delegates of the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

On June 28, 1787, the Constitutional Convention was deadlocked and embroiled in bitter controversy over the future government of the United States. Benjamin Franklin, diplomat, scientist, and inventor, rose and made the following plea to the assembled delegates: (more…)