The Great Awakening Shaped the Constitution—and Religious Freedom

“America’s revolution and constitution were shaped not only by the Enlightenment but also by the Great Awakening, by preachers as well as pamphleteers. And, as John Witte describes … the Founding-era arguments about religious freedom under law included not just ‘Enlightenment thinkers’ but also ‘congregational Puritans,’ ‘Free Church Evangelicals,’ and ‘Civic Republicans.’”