Benjamin Rush, a Founding Father of the United States, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a physician, politician, social reformer, humanitarian, and educator, known for his contributions to the American Enlightenment and for his advocacy for the abolition of slavery and universal public education.
Rush believed that religion, as described in the New Testament, was the key source of moral guidance needed in the citizens of a republic.
“the only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in Religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments.”
Benjamin Rush, Of the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic, 1789
A Useful Education