The White House, Washington, D.C. 1804. Thomas Jefferson was frustrated. It was not the burdens of office that bothered him. It was his Bible. Jefferson was convinced that the authentic words of ...

A select number of presidents have not sworn on the Bible, which was more common in earlier chapters of American history when specific rules and traditions weren’t as entrenched as they are today.

The crux of Jefferson’s letter is his explanation that the First Amendment “thus builds a wall of separation between church ...

When President Donald Trump took the oath of office, he didn't have his hand on the Bible. Does this matter and why do ...

But Thomas Jefferson and Calvin Coolidge reportedly did not use a Bible when taking their oaths, according to an old Washington Post report from 1967. Theodore Roosevelt didn’t use one either ...

Washington then kissed the Bible, creating another tradition that persisted into the 20th Century. Thomas Jefferson and Calvin Coolidge were sworn in without a Bible as were Theodore Roosevelt ...