Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State - Paperbackby Daniel Dreisbach (Author) The origins, controversial uses, and competing interpretations of Jefferson's famous remark "wall of separation between church and state" No phrase in American letters has had a more profound influence on church state law, policy, and discourse than Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation between church and state," and few metaphors have provoked more passionate debate. Introduced in an 1802 letter to the Danbury,