I’m a historian. The Founding Fathers didn’t want a Christian nation, so how did we get here?

NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsI’m a historian. The Founding Fathers didn’t want a Christian nation, so how did we get here?This long-standing debate over the founders’ religious intentions has gained renewed intensity with the approaching 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4Peter Smith Sunday 03 May 2026 17:06 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2969768","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/christian-nation-founding-fathers-us-religion-b2969768.html","title":"The Founding Fathers didn’t want a Christian nation, so how did we get here?"}}CloseTrump participates in marathon Bible-reading event days after posting AI photo of himself as JesusSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_INSIDE_WASHINGTON","regTitle":"Inside Washington","subscriptionGroup":"inside_washington","subscriptionGroupId":"af764e04-87eb-45e6-a84b-a7455ba70a1e","type":"inside_washington","pathPrefix":"/news/world/americas/us-politics","associatedAuthors":["Eric Garcia","John Bowden"],"title":"Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox","mobileTitle":"Get our free Inside Washington email","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/insideWashington1_1.png","label":"I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email","newsletterKey":"receive...