Benjamin Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, published an essay after the ratification of the Constitution advocating the clear and explicit use of public funds to promote Christian thoughts and ideas to the public. How common were these beliefs during this time?

by NippleBrigade

The essay is "A Plan of a Peace-Office for the United States"

c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.uuma.org/resource/collection/9DC33407-5764-418F-9A5C-F22E1012A3C0/Plan_of_a_Peace_Office.pdf

While the overt focus is on promoting "perpetual peace" in the US, it also advocates public funding for a bible to be given to every home and requiring teachings from the bible in public schools, among others.

How common were these beliefs among government leaders at the time? Did this essay or other like it represent common public beliefs? Were there serious efforts at the time in Congress to enact similar proposals into law?

AmesCG

Hmm, I'm unfamiliar with this Rush proposal, thanks for raising it. I've written previously on Jefferson and Madison, and their impact on early American notions of religious expression. It sounds like they would have disagreed. But like I said there, Jefferson and Madison were by no means the only people writing on church/state relations at the time.