“God” in Select Foundational Documents of the US

Abstract: The central elements of American identity are sourced to the foundational documents of the United States of America. These documents embody the fundamental principles that define the American Creed, or that body of beliefs, values, and ideals that define Americans as Americans. The Declaration of Independence, Gettysburg Address, and Second Inaugural Address stand out in this regard. They further stand out in their legitimation of the Creed’s basic principles. All three texts define American identity vis-à-vis God. Although sensitizing ourselves to this relationship is essential to comprehending the meaning of being American signified by these documents, it is also important to understand the ways they encounter God. The Declaration and Addresses appropriate God differently. The Declaration reveres the Pauline God of the New Testament, while the Addresses revere the God of the Old Testament. The different ways these texts appropriate God yield distinct interpretations of the self, the other, and God within American existence. This paper uses hermeneutic-phenomenology to render these separate meanings. It concludes with reflections on American receptiveness to the faiths these documents express and the original significance of God to American identity.

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Joaquin Trujillo is a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. He has served in Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S. He holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Florida International University. His published essays include phenomenological studies of Islamic terrorism, cocaine abuse, stratification, and the New Testament.