[Labyrinthos]

Charter Of Massachusetts Bay (1629)

~Except the Charter was 170 years prior to the enactment of the First Amendment.

[hedgetrimmer]

James Madison, the author of the First Amendment, wrote that our duty to God takes precedence over our duties as citizens. This was reflected in his statement to the Virginia legislature when he concluded, "Before any man can be considered a member of civil society, he must be considered a subject of the Governor of the Universe." As Madison noted in A Memorial and Remonstrance, the reason for the First Amendment was to safeguard "the duty of every man to render to the Creator… homage."