Why the “Judeo-Christian Values” Framing Is Historically Misleading

 

**Fact Check: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Claims America Was Founded on "Judeo-Christian Values" — The Historical Record Says Otherwise**

On March 30, 2026, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated during a briefing: “Our nation was founded, almost 250 years ago, on Judeo-Christian values.”

This claim has sparked significant debate, as it contradicts key primary documents and the explicit intentions of the Founding Fathers. Independent analyst Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) highlighted the discrepancy in a widely shared post on X, which includes video of the briefing. You can view the original post and video here: https://x.com/allenanalysis/status/2038688692525465645.

Here’s a clear-eyed look at the historical evidence.

### 1. The Treaty of Tripoli (1797): Explicit Rejection of a Christian Foundation

Just eight years after the Constitution’s ratification, the United States signed the Treaty of Tripoli with the Ottoman regency of Tripoli (modern-day Libya). It was negotiated under President George Washington, signed by President John Adams, and **unanimously ratified** by the U.S. Senate in 1797.

Article 11 of the treaty states plainly:

> “As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen [Muslims]; and as the said States never entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mahometan [Muslim] nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”

**Primary source**: Full text of the Treaty of Tripoli (Yale Law School’s Avalon Project): (https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1796t.asp).

This was not an obscure footnote. It was official U.S. policy, approved by the Senate with no recorded dissent. The treaty directly addressed fears that America might be seen as a “Christian nation” in foreign relations — and rejected that characterization outright.

### 2. Thomas Jefferson: Deist Who Edited Miracles Out of the Bible

Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, was a deist who rejected supernatural claims. He literally created his own version of the Bible — *The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth* (commonly called the Jefferson Bible) — by cutting out all references to miracles, the resurrection, and divinity, leaving only Jesus’s moral teachings.

Jefferson viewed Jesus as a great moral teacher but not divine. He wrote that he was “sifting” the teachings from what he saw as later corruptions by theologians.

**Sources**:

- Smithsonian Magazine: “How Thomas Jefferson Created His Own Bible” (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-thomas-jefferson-created-his-own-bible-5659505/)

- Gilder Lehrman Institute: Thomas Jefferson and Deism (https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/thomas-jefferson-and-deism) 

### 3. James Madison: Father of the Constitution Warned Against Religious Persecution by the State

James Madison, the principal architect of the Constitution, fiercely opposed any government entanglement with religion. In his 1785 “Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments,” he called state-supported religion a “diabolical hell conceived principle of persecution” that violates natural rights.

**Primary source**: James Madison’s Memorial and Remonstrance (Founders Online, National Archives): https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-08-02-0163.

Madison’s efforts helped ensure the First Amendment’s religion clauses became law.

### 4. The First Amendment: Deliberately Placed First for a Reason

The very first words of the Bill of Rights make the Founders’ priority crystal clear:

 “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...”

**Official text**: U.S. Constitution, Amendment I (National Archives / Library of Congress): https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/.

This was not an afterthought. The Founders — many of whom had witnessed religious wars and state churches in Europe — intentionally created a secular government that protects religious freedom *by refusing to establish* any religion.

The phrase “Judeo-Christian” itself did not enter widespread American political usage until the mid-20th century. The Founders spoke of natural rights, Enlightenment principles, classical republicanism, and religious liberty — not a unified “Judeo-Christian” tradition as a basis for government. Many were deists, Unitarians, or liberal Protestants who explicitly rejected theocratic governance.

The United States was founded on the radical idea that government derives its power from the consent of the governed — not from any religious doctrine. That secular foundation has allowed the world’s most religiously diverse nation to thrive.

For the full context of today’s briefing and the counter-evidence, read Brian Allen’s original analysis on X: https://x.com/allenanalysis/status/2038688692525465645.

History is not a political football. Primary sources matter. America’s strength has always come from its commitment to religious liberty *for all* — not the establishment of any faith.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

🚨 White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt today:

“Our nation was founded, almost 250 years ago, on Judeo-Christian values.”

The Treaty of Tripoli. 1797. Signed by Founding Father John Adams. Ratified unanimously by the Senate:

“The Government of the United States of… pic.twitter.com/RFz0BcavEt

— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) March 30, 2026