Isaac Backus and John Leland: Baptist Contributions to Religious Liberty in the Founding Era

Abstract

Isaac Backus and John Leland were part of a Christian movement that had emerged in England in the early 1600s and later flourished in North America. In 1776, 1 out of every 264 Americans was a Baptist, by 1800 this grew to 1 out of every 53 Americans, and by 1830, it became 1 out of every 27. Although not well represented among political elites in the founding era, Baptists were ardent supporters of the War for Independence and important advocates of religious liberty. This chapter profiles two influential Baptist ministers in the founding era and argues that their similarities and differences illustrate well the range of Baptist thought in the era.