Below are some of the major American deists, including a little about the person and his deist ideas. Some entries have a link to a good introduction to his deist ideas.
A Natural Man (fl. 1771) was the anonymous author of the pamphlet A Sermon on Natural Religion (Boston, 1771). The best introduction to his deism is this short pamphlet.
John Adams (1735-1826) was the second president of the United States. He thought that Christianity was a divine revelation but that the Bible was very inaccurate and corrupt in many places. A good introduction to his Jesus-centered deism is two letters he wrote to Thomas Jefferson, one written on November 4, 1816 and the other written on November 14, 1813. It is also helpful to read the letter he wrote to F. A. van der Kemp on December 27, 1816.
Ethan Allen (1738-1789) was a Revolutionary War hero who captured the vital Fort Ticonderoga from the British. A good introduction to his ideas is chapter 1, sections 1-3 of Reason, the Only Oracle of Man (Bennington, Vermont, 1784).
William Beadle (1730-1782) was a merchant in Wethersfield Connecticutt who killed himself, his wife and his four children in 1782. His deist ideas are discussed in Christopher Grasso, “Deist Monster: On Religious Common Sense in the Wake of the American Revolution,” The Journal of American History 95, no. 1 (June 2008): 56-61.
Denis Driscol (1762-1811) was the Irish editor of the American deist periodical The Temple of Reason. The best introduction to his Jesus-centered deism is the The Temple of Reason, 15 November 1800, 2-5, & 22 November 1800, 1-4.
John Fitch (1744-1798) was an inventor of a steamboat in Philadelphia in the early 1790s. During this time, he organized a group promoting deism called “The Society of Deist Natural Philosophers.” We do not know much about his deist ideas or the society but he discussed them on pages 120-124, 129-133, & 138-140 of his autobiography: The Autobiography of John Fitch, ed. Frank D. Prager (Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society, 1976).
John Fowler (1756-1840) was a Revolutionary War soldier and a member of the House of Representatives from Kentucky. An introduction to his deist ideas is his The Truth of the Bible . . . Own Facts (Alexandria, Virginia, 1797), 141-161.
Ben Franklin (1706-1790) was one of the eighteenth-century’s greatest scientists as well as the American ambassador to France during the Revolutionary War. He identified true Christianity with Jesus’ teachings and rejected any Christian teaching, such as original sin, that portrayed God as less than totally good and fair. A good introduction to his early Jesus-centered deism is his short pamphlet A Defence of the Rev. Mr. Hemphill’s Observations: Or, an Answer to the Vindication of the Reverend Commission (Philadelphia, 1735). The best introduction to his later ideas is his March 9, 1790 letter to Ezra Stiles.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) wrote the Declaration of Independence and was the third president of the United States. He revered Jesus but did not believe in miracles or that the Old Testament was part of true Christianity. A good introduction to his deist ideas are his letters to William Short (Aug 4, 1820), to Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse (June 26, 1822), and to Dr. Benjamin Rush (April 21, 1803).
General Charles Lee (1732-1782) was one of the leading American generals in the American Revolutionary War. For his deist ideas see his will in Memoirs of the Life of the Late Charles Lee (Dublin, 1792), 192.
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was born in England to Quaker parents. He moved to America and was instrumental in helping the Americans win the Revolutionary War. He was imprisoned in the French Revolution before finally dying in America. A good introduction to his ideas is the conclusion to part 2 of his book The Age of Reason.
Elihu Palmer (1764-1806) was a blind former minister who lectured throughout America, spreading deist ideas. A good introduction to his deist ideas is his The Principles of Nature (New York, 1801), 257-67 & 29-72.
The Society of Deist Natural Philosophers (also called the Universal Society) was set up in Philadelphia in the early 1790s by John Fitch and Henry Voight. It lasted only a few years. It had about thirty members, including Isaac Hough, Robert Scott, and Mr. Parrish. John Fitch discussed the organization on pages 120-124, 129-133, & 138-140 of his autobiography: The Autobiography of John Fitch, ed. Frank D. Prager (Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society, 1976).
Henry Voight (fl. Late 18th century) was an American clockmaker and mechanic who helped John Fitch invent a steamboat in Philadelphia. He was involved with Fitch in setting up a group promoting deism called “The Society of Deist Natural Philosophers.”
Thomas Young (1731-1777) was a leading figure in the American Revolution, including helping to organize the Boston Tea Party. The best introduction to his deist ideas is his Letter to the Massachusetts Spy. 19 November 1772, which is reprinted in A. Owen Aldridge, “Natural Religion and Deism in America before Ethan Allen and Thomas Paine,” The William and Mary Quarterly 54, no. 4 (Oct. 1997): 846-7
Enlightenment Deism 