Religious Issues and Policy in U.S. Government Documents: Home

This guide contains a bibliography of selected government documents related to religious issues, policies and practices in the United States and around the world. Choose a decade tab above to begin.

To find more like what is listed on this site, we recommend the following resources:

• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications, a free index for publications mostly from 1976 forward, with some links to full text.  Administered by the U.S. Government Publishing Office.
• Proquest Congressional, available to MU affiliates.  Indexes and provides full text for congressional publications including hearings.
• U.S. Congressional Serial Set, available to MU affiliates. Covers congressional documents issued from 1817-1980
• Foreign Relations of the United States, 1861-1960.  This is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication. The series is produced by the State Department’s Office of the Historian and printed volumes are available from the Government Printing Office.  Some of these issues included involve religious differences and controversies over religious observance.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right
of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances.”
Source: U.S.Bill of Rights, First Amendment