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History Series: John Witherspoon
History of John Witherspoon
The Ordained Founding Father
Part of the series on America 250, the US Semiquincentennial
[In my previous article, I discussed how the American Revolution against England was driven by the Enlightenment, the Age of Reason… and Religion, the predominantly Protestant Christian faith energized by the revival of the Great Awakening.]
John Witherspoon, born on February 4, 1723, was an 18th-century Scottish preacher who emigrated to America in 1768. He was the sole clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence.
As president of Princeton College, he significantly influenced several Founding Fathers, including framers of the Declaration and Constitution who studied under him, most notably James Madison, known as the “Father of the Constitution.”
Witherspoon is regarded as a Founding Father of the United States and as the most influential professor in American history, particularly during the late Colonial and early National periods. He was renowned for his teaching of Enlightenment principles and for his preaching of Christianity, finding no conflict between the two.
