The Founding Fathers and the Debate over Religion in Revolutionary America - A History in Documents (Paperback)

Whether America was founded as a Christian nation or as a secular republic is one of the most fiercely debated questions in American history. Historians Matthew Harris and Thomas Kidd offer an authoritative examination of the essential documents needed to understand this debate. The texts included in this volume - writings and speeches from both well-known and obscure early American thinkers - show that religion played a prominent yet fractious role in the era of the American Revolution.
In their personal beliefs, the Founders ranged from profound skeptics like Thomas Paine to traditional Christians like Patrick Henry. Nevertheless, most of the Founding Fathers rallied around certain crucial religious principles, including the idea that people were "created" equal, the belief that religious freedom required the disestablishment of state-backed denominations, the necessity of virtue in a republic, and the role of Providence in guiding the affairs of nations. Harris and Kidd show that through the struggles of war and the framing of the Constitution, Americans sought to reconcile their dedication to religious vitality with their commitment to religious freedom.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	December 2011
First published:	November 2011
Editors:	Matthew Harris (Associate Professor of History and Director of the Graduate Program in History) • Thomas Kidd (Associate Professor of History)
Dimensions:	208 x 141 x 22mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	206
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-532650-5
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > General > History of religion Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political structure & processes > Constitution, government & the state Books > History > American history > General Books > Religion & Spirituality > General > History of religion
LSN:	0-19-532650-4
Barcode:	9780195326505

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