The Separation of Church & State Week begins the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day and ends the Saturday after. It’s a secular response to National Bible Week, from November 17 to 23 in 2024, that challenges the notion that “we are one nation, under God” because we are in fact one nation, under our constitution. The whole week is dedicated to highlighting the secular values of the American republic and the important work activists and organizations do to raise awareness about legal options available to the victims of church-state violations. Activists, liberals, and intellectuals also raise their voices to educate the people about the importance of the wall limiting government interference in people’s religious choices.
The first use of the phrase ‘separation of church and state’ comes from a letter written by President Thomas Jefferson to Baptists from Danbury, Connecticut, in 1802. In the letter, he reiterates that religion is the one thing that rests solely between a man and his God. He stood his ground against their request to establish a national church, citing the United States Bill of Rights, which he mentioned also meant the government would not interfere in their freedom of religion. The 1791 Bill of Rights made ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution and was among the first political expressions of religious liberty. The 1954 promulgation of the Johnson Amendment also implied a clear separation of church and state, setting a landmark precedent.