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==BackgroundBACKGROUND - GOD, THE CONSTITUTION, AND POLITICAL PARTIES==

[[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], and the other [[Founding Fathers]] formally established signed the United States by the ratification Declaration of the [[U.S. Constitution]] in 1788. Since the presidency of [[John Quincy Adams]] the United States has been governed by one of two [[political parties]] in a [[republic]] increasingly tending towards [[democracy]] as the franchise has expanded. The younger of the two existing major partiesIndependence on July 4th, the [[Republican Party]], was created in 1854. Between independence in 1776 and ratification of the [[Constitution]] in 1788, the United States' governing documents included the [[Articles of Confederation]] and the [[Declaration of Independence]] itself.

Between independence in 1776 and the ratification of the [[Constitution]] in 1788, the United States had TWO governing documents: the [[Articles of Confederation]] and the [[Declaration of Independence]] itself.  [[George Washington]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], and the other [[Founding Fathers]] formally established the current structure of the United States by ratification of the [[U.S. Constitution]] in 1788. Since 1788, the United States has had ONLY ONE official governing document: the [[US CONSTITUTION]].  All previous documents are mere historical reference material. Although officially a [[Republic]], since the Presidency of [[John Quincy Adams]], the United States has been governed by two [[political parties]] under the rules of a "Representative [[Democracy]]." Those two major political parties are the [[Democrat Party]], and the Republican Party. The younger of the two parties, the [[Republican Party]], was created in 1854. In American political life. The relationship between GOD and GOVERNMENT is the prime characteristic differentiating the various political parties. The [[Declaration of Independence ]] acknowledges the existence of a [[GodGOD]] when it refers to "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's GodGOD" and says all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,." though the latter That statement was made by inserted at the request of [[Thomas Jefferson]], whose religious beliefs had far were more in common with Unitarianism then traditional Christianity/Christian. Some Christians argued  It is established fact that since many of the most early Americans came there for Religious Freedom. The American [[Founding Fathers were ]] called themselves Christians (although the majority of them could actually be qualified as Deists) and that, explicitly or not, and acted as though the United States was founded upon the principles and ideals of Christianity. However  Despite their own beliefs however, the freedom of (and from) religion (stating [[Founding Fathers]] specifically placed into the [[First Amendment]] to the [[U.S. Constitution]] a statement that the government cannot interfere in the conduct of religious groups, or vice versa) is a fundamental aspect and grants "Freedom of Religion" for all faiths. That statement is often referred to as the [[First AmendmentFree Exercise Clause]] to the Constitution. This separation is a continuing source of conflict in American society, generally between those attempting to exert their own religious or anti-religious views over others. " This [[Free Exercise Clause]] of the First Amendment to the [[US Constitution]] began increasingly to be tested and interpreted by the [[judiciary]] in the late 19th century as a result of the increasing population of religious [[minorities]] in the United States.  The various differences and contradictions between the founding documents such as the "Declaration of Independence", the US Constitution", the "[[Federalist Papers]]", and the many personal papers of the [[Founding Fathers]] has not helped to resolve the issue. This is important to understand, as in recent decades, the [[US Supreme Court]] has re-interpreted this clause to represent an actual, "physical separation" of Religion from Government. This "separation of Church and State" interpretation has become a continuing source of conflict in American society.  In America today, what political party you join is often determined by your personal view of the relationship between "GOD and GOVERNMENT." All other lesser social issues, whether they be Abortion, Euthanasia, Freedom of Speech, etc. are all subserviant in one way or another to an individuals' view of "GOD and GOVERNMENT." The [[Republican Party]] does not believe in a "physical separation" between Church and State. The [[Democrat Party]] firmly believes in that "physical seperation." It is the pre-imminent importance of this issue in American Life and Culture that causes this discussion to have so prominent a place on the main page of this encyclopedia's "United States of America" entry.