American Gospel
Subtitle: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Published: March 20, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 448
ISBN-13: 9780812976663
Subjects: History Of Religion (General); U.S. History - Revolution And Confederation (1775-1789); History - U.S.; History: American; Christianity - History - General; Religion, Politics & State; United States - General; History / United States / General; History; General
Description: Author Meacham tells the human story of how the Founding Fathers viewed faith, and how they ultimately created a nation in which belief in God is a matter of choice. At a time when our country seems divided by extremism, this book draws on the past to offer a new perspective. Meacham re-creates the history of a nation grappling with religion and politics--from John Winthrop's "city on a hill" sermon to Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence; from a proposed nineteenth-century Christian Amendment to the Constitution to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s call for civil rights; from George Washington to Ronald Reagan. At the heart of the American experiment lies what Benjamin Franklin called "public religion," a God who invests all human beings with inalienable rights while protecting private religion from government interference. It is a great American balancing act, and it has served us well.--From publisher description.