A Model Of Christian Charity By William Penn

Early American political thought demonstrated the significance of religion in politics, which was evident in the rhetoric of political thinkers. This was clear in Winthrop’s sermon, A Model of Christian Charity, upon which the colony of Massachusetts was founded as God’s providence in the New World. Thus, the Puritans must live collectively and help one another when faced with dire situations, in order to uphold their role under God’s will. Further, William Penn’s Frame of Government of Pennsylvania begins with the statement that humans were created by God to serve as His stewards, but humans are not perfect and can commit wrongdoings. Therefore, according to Penn, just law must work in tandem with holy law to establish a successful government. Undeniably, these early political notions by Winthrop and Penn incorporated religion within the core of government. However, intellectuals, such as Frederick Douglass and Ralph Waldo Emerson did not share the same notion of a symbiotic relationship between religion and politics as Winthrop and Penn did. For instance, Douglass criticized the church for being hypocritical,
Later, he dedicated his expertise, as influenced by William Garrison to become a widely popular anti-slavery lecturer across the nation and Europe (Murphy, Frederick Douglass: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?). On July 5th 1852, Douglass gave an address in Rochester, New York titled What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? (Murphy, Frederick Douglass: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?). During his address, he shared his view of the hypocrisy of the church on slavery. He recounted the indifference of the church to the moral injustices, as well as the fostering of the oppressors, American slave-hunters and the system itself (Douglass). Specifically