Editing Separation of church and state (section)

====The Treaty of Tripoli====
{{Main|Treaty of Tripoli}}
In 1797, the [[United States Senate]] ratified a treaty with [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] that stated in Article 11:

{{Blockquote|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 [[Musulman|Mussulmen]]; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any [[Mohammedan|Mahometan]] 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.<ref>For full text see [http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1796t.asp "The Barbary Treaties 1786–1816; Treaty of Peace and Friendship, Signed at Tripoli November 4, 1796" Avalon Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810205612/http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1796t.asp |date=August 10, 2011 }}</ref>}}

According to Frank Lambert, Professor of History at [[Purdue University]], the assurances in Article 11 were:

<blockquote>...intended to allay the fears of the Muslim state by insisting that religion would not govern how the treaty was interpreted and enforced. President [[John Adams]] and the Senate made clear that the pact was between two sovereign states, not between two religious powers.<ref>{{cite book| chapter=Introduction| chapter-url=http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/i7500.html| title=The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America| publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]| date=2005| first=Frank| last=Lambert| isbn=978-0691126029| quote=By their actions, the Founding Fathers made clear that their primary concern was religious freedom, not the advancement of a state religion. Individuals, not the government, would define religious faith and practice in the United States. Thus the Founders ensured that in no official sense would America be a Christian Republic. Ten years after the Constitutional Convention ended its work, the country assured the world that the United States was a secular state, and that its negotiations would adhere to the rule of law, not the dictates of the Christian faith. The assurances were contained in the Treaty of Tripoli of 1797 and were intended to allay the fears of the Muslim state by insisting that religion would not govern how the treaty was interpreted and enforced. John Adams and the Senate made clear that the pact was between two sovereign states, not between two religious powers.| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/foundin_lam_2003_00_2547}}</ref></blockquote>

Supporters of the separation of church and state argue that this treaty, which was ratified by the Senate, confirms that the government of the United States was specifically intended to be religiously neutral.<ref>F. Forrester Church. ''The separation of church and state'' (2004) p. 121</ref> The treaty was submitted by President Adams and unanimously ratified by the Senate.