Museum of the Bible unveils rare founding-era artifacts for America’s 250th

A rare collection of original letters, family Bibles, and founding-era artifacts offers a new perspective on the role Scripture played in the founding of the nation.

The works are exhibited at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC; Here, a new collection celebrating America’s 250th anniversary examines how Scripture influenced the nation’s early years through original documents and historical objects.

Highlights include the first Bible printed in English in America, family Bibles belonging to several founding fathers and other prominent Americans, and an original Thomas Jefferson letter on religious freedom.

RARE LETTER REVEALS FORMER ATHEIST’S ‘DEEP’ CHRISTIAN FAITH IN BIBLE MUSEUM

Together, the documents show how biblical language emerged during the founding period and influenced conversations about freedom, education, and public life.

Anthony Schmidt, the museum’s director of collections and curation, told Fox News Digital that the collection uses primary sources to examine the Bible’s role in early American history.

“The Bible has been an integral part of the founding and history of this nation,” Schmidt said.

“This is not a theological claim; this is what the documents show. The founding fathers cited Scripture, argued from it, and built political frameworks around its language about human dignity and freedom.”

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

One section explores how the Bible became a part of daily life in the nation’s early years, showcasing the first Bible printed in English in America as well as family Bibles owned by many founding fathers and other historical figures.

Schmidt said the objects were deliberately chosen to tell the most comprehensive story possible about the Bible’s influence on America’s founding generation.

An 1818 painting by John Trumbull depicts the Committee of Five (Adams, Livingston, Sherman, Jefferson, and Franklin) presenting a draft of the Declaration of Independence. (iStock)

“These objects demonstrate the Bible’s influence not only on religious life but also on early American art, education, and politics.”

Another chapter examines the relationship between faith and government through Jefferson’s writings on religious liberty and one of the nation’s first published arguments for resisting tyranny.

CLICK FOR MORE LIFE STORIES

Visitors can also view Revolutionary-era printed materials that helped unify the colonies, documents depicting early Jewish civic life in America, portraits of George Washington and other colonial-era figures, a hand-colored lithograph commemorating Abraham Lincoln, and busts of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.

Schmidt said one of the main goals of the collection is to encourage visitors to interact directly with original historical documents.

A vintage illustration shows Betsy Ross raising an old American flag in the presence of George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross during the Revolutionary War era. (Keith Lance)

“We want visitors to encounter the history of this country and see in primary documents what impact the Bible really had on the people who built it,” he said.

He noted that although the founding fathers often disagreed on matters of religion, historical records show that many were still influenced by the language and ideas of the Bible.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

“Many of the founders disagreed and were sharply opposed to religion, but they were still shaped by the language and arguments of the Bible,” Schmidt said. “We want people to engage with this evidence and come to their own conclusions.”