Rare Artifacts Reveal the Influence of Scripture on America’s Founding

A unique collection of original letters, family Bibles, and founding-era artifacts is now on display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. This exhibit marks the 250th anniversary of America and examines how Scripture influenced the nation’s early years through original documents and historical objects.

The display features significant items such as the first Bible printed in English in America, family Bibles belonging to founding fathers, and an original letter from Thomas Jefferson discussing religious freedom. These documents highlight how biblical language played a role in discussions about liberty, education, and public life during the founding era.

Scripture and the Founding Fathers

Anthony Schmidt, the museum’s director of collections and curatorial, shared that the collection uses primary sources to explore the Bible’s impact on early American history. According to Schmidt, “The Bible has been an integral part of this nation’s founding and history. That’s not a theological claim; it’s what the documents show. The founding fathers referenced Scripture, argued from it, and built political frameworks on its language about human dignity and liberty.”

One section of the exhibit explores how Scripture was woven into everyday life, featuring the first Bible in English printed in America alongside family Bibles from several founders and other figures. Schmidt emphasized that these objects were deliberately chosen to convey the comprehensive story of the Bible’s influence on the founding generation of America.

These objects show the Bible’s impact not only on religious life, but on early American art, education, and politics.

Faith and Government

Another section investigates the relationship between faith and government through Jefferson’s writings on religious liberty and early arguments for resisting tyranny. Also on display are Revolutionary-era printed materials that helped unify the colonies, documents about early Jewish civic life in America, and portraits of historical figures like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Schmidt remarked that a key goal of the collection is to encourage visitors to engage directly with original historical documents. He noted that while founding fathers often had differing views on religion, the historical record demonstrates that the Bible’s language and ideas influenced many of them.

“We want visitors to encounter the history of this country and see, in the primary documents, what impact the Bible actually had on the people who built it,” Schmidt stated. He acknowledged that many founders disagreed sharply about religion but were still shaped by the Bible’s language and arguments. The exhibit invites people to engage with this evidence and draw their own conclusions.

Kelly McGreal is a production assistant with the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.