Adams Papers

To John Adams from Joseph Willard, 8 June 1790

From Joseph Willard

Cambridge June 8. 1790.

Sir,

I take the liberty of enclosing a petition to the National Legislature, from the Convention of the Congregational Ministers in this Commonwealth, by a Committee of the Body, upon a very important subject, viz. that of preventing incorrect editions of the Bible from being published among us.1 The Committee have desired me to request your Excellency to take the charge of this petition, and to introduce it, at such time, as you may judge most expedient. They have full confidence in your Excellency, that you will do every thing in your power, that the American editions of that sacred Book, which contains the foundations of our holy religion, and for which, they are persuaded you have the sincerest regard, may come forth as correct as possible.

The Committee, by the direction of the Convention, are preparing letters to be sent to the Ministers of the various denominations of Christians, in the United States, requesting them to join in applications to the Congress, in this important business; and they hope, that the cause of true religion will be subserved by these exertions.

I am, Sir, / with sentiments of the highest respect / your Excellency’s most humble / and obedient servant

Joseph Willard

RC (Adams Papers); internal address: “His Excellency / John Adams Esquire.”

1. Willard’s proposal for a federally sanctioned Bible echoed a 12 Sept. 1782 resolution of the Continental Congress regarding a similar request from Philadelphia printer Robert Aitken. JA laid Willard’s petition before the Senate, where it was read on 14 June 1790. Various Baptist associations of New England submitted related petitions, which were read in the House of Representatives on 5 and 19 Jan. 1791. Congress took no further action on the matter (Washington, Papers, Presidential Series description begins The Papers of George Washington: Presidential Series, ed. W. W. Abbot, Dorothy Twohig, Jack D. Warren, Mark A. Mastromarino, Robert F. Haggard, Christine S. Patrick, John C. Pinheiro, David R. Hoth, and others, Charlottesville, Va., 1987–. description ends , 5:495; JCC description begins Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789, ed. Worthington Chauncey Ford, Gaillard Hunt, John C. Fitzpatrick, Roscoe R. Hill, and others, Washington, D.C., 1904–1937; 34 vols. description ends , 23:574; First Fed. Cong. description begins Documentary History of the First Federal Congress of the United States of America, March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791, ed. Linda Grant De Pauw, Charlene Bangs Bickford, Helen E. Veit, William C. diGiacomantonio, and Kenneth R. Bowling, Baltimore, 1972–2017; 22 vols. description ends , 1:351; MHS, Procs. description begins Massachusetts Historical Society, Proceedings. description ends , 1st ser., 5:107).

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    Adams Papers
    Title
    To John Adams from Joseph Willard, 8 June 1790
    Author
    Willard, Joseph
    Recipient
    Adams, John
    Date
    8 June 1790

    Reference

    Cite as
    “To John Adams from Joseph Willard, 8 June 1790,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/06-20-02-0213. [Original source: The Adams Papers, Papers of John Adams, vol. 20, June 1789–February 1791, ed. Sara Georgini, Sara Martin, R. M. Barlow, Gwen Fries, Amanda M. Norton, Neal E. Millikan, and Hobson Woodward. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2020, p. 378.]

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