Did any Founding Fathers write about Islam or Muslims in their letters or papers?
Executive summary
Several Founding Fathers explicitly referenced Islam or Muslims in their writings and public actions: Thomas Jefferson owned a Qur’an and studied Islam’s texts; Benjamin Franklin mentioned “the Mufti of Constantinople” in his Autobiography to illustrate religious pluralism; and Library of Congress research shows the Founders discussed Islam when shaping religious freedom for the new republic [1] [2] [3].
1. Founders named Islam in print and private papers
Thomas Jefferson purchased a Qur’an as a young law student and scholars have used that fact to argue he took an intellectual interest in Islam and its texts; Jefferson’s Qur’an and his writings are central to recent work connecting Jefferson to Islamic sources [1] [4]. Benjamin Franklin included a memorable line in his Autobiography inviting “the Mufti of Constantinople” to preach—an explicit rhetorical invocation of Islam used to defend a non‑sectarian pulpit [2]. The Library of Congress has collected papers showing the Founders contemplated Islam in debates over religious freedom [3].
2. Context: religious freedom was the primary concern
When Founders referenced Islam, it was usually within the broader argument for conscience and equal legal status among religions. Historians stress that freedom of religion as conceived by the Founding generation “encompassed” Islam and other non‑Christian faiths when framing the new republic’s toleration rules [3] [5]. Jefferson’s and Franklin’s remarks are cited today as evidence the First Amendment’s protections were intended to cover non‑Christian faiths including Islam [2] [1].
3. Views were mixed and sometimes negative in broader culture
Not all contemporary voices in the Revolutionary era were affirming. Some evangelical and Protestant spokesmen denounced Muhammad in harsh terms and used anti‑Islamic rhetoric inherited from earlier European debates; historians note the Founders’ views toward Islam ranged and often reflected prevailing Protestant formulations like comparisons from the Reformation era [3] [6]. Libertarian historians argue the Founders “talked about Islam quite a bit, and it was almost always negative,” demonstrating a strand of skepticism in the period [6].
4. Slavery, African Muslims, and a silence about practice
Scholars point out a tension: tens of thousands of enslaved Africans brought Islamic backgrounds to colonial America, yet the Founders seldom recorded direct knowledge of enslaved people’s Muslim identities. The Library of Congress commentary and Smithsonian research underline that many enslaved people had Islamic connections but “there is no evidence that the Founders were aware of the religious convictions of their bondsmen” and Jefferson rarely if ever mentions actual Muslim residents in the early republic [3] [4].
5. How later commentators use these facts—competing narratives
Modern writers draw different conclusions from the same documentary record. Some like Juan Cole and educators emphasize Franklin’s and Jefferson’s references as proof the Framers explicitly included Islam in their imagination of religious liberty [2] [1]. Others highlight continuities with anti‑Islamic Protestant tropes and argue the Founders’ rhetoric could still be negative or theoretical rather than reflective of pluralistic social practice [6] [3]. Secondary sources and advocacy groups amplify particular readings for contemporary political points, so check whether an account is scholarly, popular, or partisan [7] [8].
6. Limits of the sources and what’s not in the record
Available sources do not mention sustained dialogues between the Founders and identified Muslim residents of the United States—primary documents show references and purchases (like Jefferson’s Qur’an) but not lengthy exchanges with practicing American Muslims [1] [4]. The Library of Congress notes Founders “thought about the relationship of Islam to the new nation,” but also acknowledges a lack of evidence that they knew the faith of enslaved people [3].
7. Bottom line for readers and researchers
Yes: notable Founders wrote about or invoked Islam—Jefferson owned a Qur’an, Franklin used an explicit Islamic reference, and contemporary archival work at the Library of Congress documents that Islam entered the framers’ debates about religious liberty [1] [2] [3]. Interpretations of those mentions diverge: some historians present them as proof of intentional inclusion of Islam in the First Amendment’s scope, while others place the references in a mixed cultural climate that included entrenched Protestant prejudices [2] [6]. For further primary‑document study consult the Library of Congress materials highlighted by James Hutson and books such as those on Jefferson’s Qur’an [3] [1].