David Barton

The small seeds of social compact, local control, and community self-government introduced into America by the religious immigrants pictured in the Rotunda took root and grew. A century-and-a-half later, those seeds were brought to maturity when our Founding Fathers announced those same principles in the Declaration of Independence – including the principle that all of America would now govern itself under God’s laws: “the laws of nature and of nature’s God.”

 So strong was their reliance on God’s Word and precepts during the American Revolution that even the currency and flags reflected this reliance. For example, the emblem on North Carolina’s currency contained the words “The law is our king” emblazoned upon an open Bible, and several revolutionary flags and banners openly appealed to God. Unquestionably, during the American Revolution, the Bible and God’s law were officially recognized as the basis of American self-government – the concept introduced a century-and-a-half earlier by the Pilgrims.

However, the Pilgrims were responsible for introducing more into America than just the concept of self-government based on God’s standards. They also introduced from the Bible many ideas that have become established parts of our culture today, including free-enterprise, the hard-work ethic, workfare rather than welfare, and private property ownership. 

It is understandable that the Geneva Bible – particularly with its anti-autocratic commentaries – would be seen as a problem by the rulers of that day. In reaction, supporters of autocracy published the Bishops’ Bible and the Rheims Bible, both of which specifically attacked the content of the Geneva commentaries. This type of conflict was a factor leading to the establishment of official versions of the Bible.

 In probably the best-known example, King James I of England authorized the funding of a new translation of the Bible about 1600, and it was finally published in 1611. Even though it was translated from essentially the same manuscripts as the Geneva Bible, this version removed all the commentaries and thus silenced the dissenting voice.

 Not surprisingly, then, the “authorized” or King James Bible became the official Bible of many British monarchs and was therefore often the official Bible of the English colonies. In fact, Great Britain even made it illegal for the British colonies to print a Bible in the English language. 6 By this stipulation, all English-language Bibles were to be printed under the supervision of the Crown, thus helping regulate which versions were in circulation. (This law will be significant in a later discussion of the paintings in the Rotunda from the Revolutionary era.)

 There is one other painting in the Rotunda in which the Geneva Bible had a direct influence: the Baptism of Pocahontas. Pocahontas was one of the first converts to Christianity in the New World (led to Christ by John Rolfe, who later became her husband), and the Geneva Bible was apparently influential in her conversion. The picture depicts Pocahontas being baptized in 1613 by the Rev. Alexander Whitaker. Interestingly, on her baptism, Pocahontas changed her name to Rebecka, wanting a Biblical name to accompany her through her new life. 

Turning to the west side of the Rotunda, the four paintings there focus on the American Revolution, moving forward some 150 years beyond the Age of Discovery and Colonization. These four were painted by one of our Founding Fathers: John Trumbull, “The Painter of the Revolution.” 

John Trumbull served as an officer during the American Revolution, and what makes his paintings so meaningful is that he personally witnessed much of what he painted and personally knew many of those whom he painted in the pictures. Because of his commitment to artistic accuracy, the faces in his paintings in the Rotunda are probably about as close as is possible to having photographs of our Founding Fathers.

 John Trumbull came from a family of outspoken Christians, and other members of his family are also honored in the Capitol. For example, his brother Jonathan, who was a colonel during the Revolution as well as an officer on George Washington’s staff, is included in the painting of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown.

 After the Revolution, Jonathan became Governor of Connecticut; and while Governor, he issued several proclamations – with strong evangelical language – calling his entire State to extended times of prayer. It is not surprising, however, that he issued such evangelical proclamations, for they reflect his very nature. In fact, Jonathan Trumbull was one among the overwhelming majority of our Founding Fathers and early leaders who were strongly and openly religious.

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In addition to these eight pictures, several statues of America’s heroes and statesmen line the walls of the Rotunda. Each of the fifty States is allowed to display two statues of individuals from that State within the Capitol. (There are also five to ten other statues here, depending on various displays at any given time.) So, if an individual is commemorated by a statue in the Capitol, it is indeed a great honor – very few individuals from across America’s long history have ever been accorded this distinction.

 Most of the statues began arriving at the Capitol in 1870 and are found primarily in four rooms: the Rotunda, East Central Hall, the Hall of Columns, and National Statuary Hall (refer to Appendix A). Although the statues are occasionally shuffled around to different locations within the Capitol or sometimes replaced by a different statue from the State (as in the case of an astronaut from Colorado), such changes do not happen often. For the most part, the statues are generally of earlier leaders and statesmen and generally remain in the same area. 

Many of the statues and paintings within the Capitol will be highlighted as individual rooms are examined. Let’s start, however, by focusing our attention on the events depicted in the eight paintings in the Rotunda, beginning with the Embarkation of the Pilgrims in 1620. The Pilgrims are kneeling in prayer, committing their endeavor to God. Notice especially the Bible in the center of the picture around which they are gathered. That Bible is a “Geneva Bible.”

The Geneva Bible (140 editions were printed from 1560 to 1644 1) was the favorite of those who were called Pilgrims, Separatists, Dissenters, and Puritans. These groups believed that there was much corruption in the organized church Of the sixteenth century and that many of the church’s practices had become anti-Biblical; they objected to those corrupt practices (hence the title “Dissenters”). Some “dissenters” dedicated themselves completely unto God and separated themselves from the church and its objectionable practices (and consequently were called “Separatists”) while other “dissenters” sought to cleanse and purify the church from within (and thus were called “Puritans”). 

The Geneva Bible was the Bible that the early religious colonists (often called “Pilgrims”) brought to America’s shores. This Bible, despite its size of nearly 6 inches by 8 inches, was called a “pocket” Bible. (Previous editions of the Bible were huge and unwieldy, some being over two feet in height!) Many of the earlier Bibles were termed “Pulpit Bibles” because they were, in fact, often chained to the pulpits of churches. However, with the Geneva Bible, a person could individually possess and also read the Word of God without having to rely on a king or church official to interpret what the Bible said.

The most unique feature of the Geneva Bible – and the feature which so impacted American culture – was its marginal commentaries. These commentaries were largely the work of reformers who had been driven from Great Britain during the reigns of Bloody Mary and James I – two monarchs who were advocates of the Divine Right of Kings and of the authority of the State over the Church. The commentaries in the Geneva Bible reflected reformation thought and took an anti-autocratic tone toward both church leaders and state leaders. 

With such open criticism of church and state leaders, the Pilgrims became the target of harsh religious and government persecution. Seeking a place where they could serve God according to their interpretation of the Scriptures, the Pilgrims arrived in America in November 1620. While still anchored offshore, the Pilgrims established the “Mayflower Compact” – the first government document written on this continent.

 The “Mayflower Compact” articulated two important Biblical principles emphasized in the Geneva commentaries. The first was that of evangelization, and thus the Pilgrims declared that they had come to this continent for the express purpose of evangelizing the nation to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. The second religious principle in that document was what is now termed social compact – that individuals knit themselves together into a community which would then govern itself under fixed standards. In the case of the Pilgrims, their fixed standards were those established in God’s Word.

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The Capitol building of the United States of America – what a majestic edifice! This is one of a very few structures recognized the world over. In virtually any land, whoever sees a picture of this building knows it is the American seat of government!  

This grand structure has been the scene of some of the most profound moments in America’s history. In its two centuries of use, this building has welcomed the voices of some of our greatest heroes, has survived some of America’s most desperate and foreboding dangers, and has witnessed important decisions affecting American life and culture. 

Truly, many diverse stories record the heritage of this building. There are stories reflecting its architectural heritage, its political heritage, and its artistic heritage, but especially interesting are the stories reflecting its rich spiritual heritage. Because the spiritual heritage within this building is little known by most Americans today, this tour through the United States Capitol will highlight many of the stories and artifacts within the Capitol that confirm the deep roots of religious faith throughout American public life.

 THE ROTUNDA

 We will begin in the Rotunda. The Rotunda is in the center of the Capitol, and its entry is on the second floor. (Included in Appendix A is the floor plan of the interior of the Capitol, showing its rooms and floors. Please refer to the floor plan as the various rooms are discussed throughout this book.) The free-standing dome of the Rotunda is so tall that the Statue of Liberty could be placed inside and there would still be nearly 30 feet left above her torch!

 When Congress first moved into the Capitol in 1800, the building bore little resemblance to the current one. In the mid-1820s the Rotunda was completed, and not until 1863 was the massive dome built atop the Rotunda. It required nearly 70 years of construction for the Capitol to become the familiar structure we recognize today.

When the Rotunda opened to the public in 1824, the first things to catch the eye – both then and now – were the massive oil paintings which adorn the walls of the Rotunda. There are eight paintings; each measures 14 feet by 20 feet; and each depicts an important event bearing on our history.

 The four pictures on the east side depict the age of Exploration and Colonization; they were placed in the Rotunda between 1840 and 1855. The first is of Columbus landing in the Western World in 1492, depicting the prayer service held following his landing; the second is of DeSoto discovering the Mississippi River in 1541; the third is of the baptism of Pocahontas at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1613; and the fourth is of the Pilgrims in 1620, praying before departing from Holland to America. (Already, in just these four pictures, there are two prayer meetings and a baptism – an early indicator of the religious heritage found throughout the building.) 

The four paintings on the west side of the Rotunda were all in place in 1824 when the Rotunda originally opened; each represents an important event in America’s quest for independence. They include the Signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776; the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 (America’s first major victory of the American Revolution); the Victory at Yorktown in 1781 (the last battle of the American Revolution); and George Washington resigning as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army in 1783.

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If our culture is moving the wrong way in America, it is because of Christian non-involvement. James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, pointed this out a century ago. President Garfield was a minister of the Gospel. In a handwritten letter, he recounts personally preaching the Gospel nineteen times in a revival, with thirty-four people coming to Christ and thirty-one being baptized. Of course, this type of activity and background is not usually associated with our Presidents in the minds of most Americans today, but several of our Presidents were involved in Christian ministry.

Notice what President Garfield reminded Americans a century ago: Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature. . . . [I]f the next centennial does not find us a great nation . . . it will be because thosewho represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces. It is safe to say that we who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation today have done little to control its political forces. Consequently, our national policies do not accurately reflect the values of the nation at large.

For example, 78 percent of the nation supports prayer in schools; 74 percent of the nation wants the Ten Commandments back in the classroom; 68 percent wants creation taught in public schools; 66 percent opposes partial-birth abortions; and there are similarly high numbers in numerous other areas involving faith and values. Yet despite the overwhelming support among the people on these issues, our public policies do not reflect these high numbers. In fact, the support on these issues is not nearly as high in Congress or in the courts as it is in the public. Why? Because Americans who embrace these values simply are not voting, and therefore are not electing to office leaders who embrace those same values.

The Rev. Charles Finney, a leader in America’s Second and Third Great Awakenings during the early and mid 1800s, reminded Christians of a lesson we need to remember today: The Church must take right ground in regard to politics. . . .

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