John Jay is the last of the Founding Fathers I will discuss for the moment. Although there were many others who took part in the historical events accompanying the birth of our nation, Jay, like the others honored here, played multiple roles in the founding. He was a delegate to both the First and Second Continental Congresses and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
He was born in 1745 to a wealthy family and was able to study law. He became a lawyer and later, the First Justice of the Supreme Court under President George Washington.
Although considered to be a political moderate, he nonetheless was a firm advocate of a unified government under Constitutional Law. Along with Hamilton and Madison, he wrote the Federalist Papers in support of ratification of the new Constitution.
Although considered to be a political moderate, he nonetheless was a firm advocate of a unified government under Constitutional Law. Along with Hamilton and Madison, he wrote the Federalist Papers in support of ratification of the new Constitution.
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| Treaty of Paris (John Jay is on the far left.) |
At the end of the Revolutionary War, John Jay was among the American delegation who signed the Treaty of Paris, ending the war with England
He served on an interim basis as the First Secretary of State and Secretary of Foreign Affairs under George Washington before being appointed to the Court.
The focus of this series of posts has been my belief that the United States was a nation founded by men of strong character and Christian backgrounds and that they were inspired by God in the remarkable work that they did. As such, it is appropriate that I close my series with a biography of John Jay. Next to Washington, he was the most devoutly religious Founding Father and was an active member of the Episcopal Church.
During his life, he served as both the president and the vice-president of the American Bible Society. He firmly believed that the only way to have peace was the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and strong adherence to the Ten Commandment. In a letter written in 1816, Jay wrote that "Real Christians will abstain from violating the rights of others, and therefore will not provoke war. Almost all nations have peace or war at the will and pleasure of rulers whom they do not elect, and who are not always wise or virtuous. Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest . . . [to elect moral people.] [1]
The focus of this series of posts has been my belief that the United States was a nation founded by men of strong character and Christian backgrounds and that they were inspired by God in the remarkable work that they did. As such, it is appropriate that I close my series with a biography of John Jay. Next to Washington, he was the most devoutly religious Founding Father and was an active member of the Episcopal Church.
During his life, he served as both the president and the vice-president of the American Bible Society. He firmly believed that the only way to have peace was the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and strong adherence to the Ten Commandment. In a letter written in 1816, Jay wrote that "Real Christians will abstain from violating the rights of others, and therefore will not provoke war. Almost all nations have peace or war at the will and pleasure of rulers whom they do not elect, and who are not always wise or virtuous. Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest . . . [to elect moral people.] [1] 
He believed the precepts found in Christianity and the Bible to be necessary for the function of a democratic republican government such as the nation had founded. He wrote: "No human society has ever been able to maintain both order and freedom, both cohesiveness and liberty apart from the moral precepts of the Christian Religion. Should our Republic ever forget this fundamental precept of governance, we will then, be surely doomed." [2]
Jay was not the only early leader to state that the Constitution can only work for a moral people. Thomas Jefferson also expressed this concern. As I look at the many troubling problems in our society, I am concerned that we have forgotten this precept. We have gone from being moral to being immoral to being amoral. In my lifetime I have watched morality being attacked on all sides as our society has torn down 7,000 years of Judeo-Christian "fences" around morality without ever considering why those "fences" had been constructed.
I don't want to get on my soapbox here because I haven't the time, space, or energy. I have enjoyed studying the life and contributions of John Jay as he is the least well known of the Fathers to me. We don't often include him in the circle with Washington, Jefferson, and Adams, but he certainly deserves to be. Thank you Mr. Jay for your integrity and morality at a time when our nation needed it desperately
[1] Jay, William (1833). The Life of John Jay: With Selections from His Correspondence and Miscellaneous Papers. New York: J. & J. Harper. p. 376. ISBN 0-8369-6858-1 Quoted in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay quote 44
[2] Loconte, Joseph (September 26, 2005). "Why Religious Values Support American Values" The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved May 12, 2013 Quoted in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay quote 45
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