A Dynamic Account of Religion's Central Role in American History

In the lauded Faith of the Founders, revered historianEdwin Gaustad provides a careful consideration of the developing relationship between religion and the state after the American Revolution. With concise focus on Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and John Adams, Gaustad identifies seven varying--sometimes contrary--perspectives on religion that guided the nation's founders. Faith of the Founders masterfully shows how these figures possessed an intuitive understanding of religion that helped nourish a young country. Repackaged for a new generation of readers and with a new foreword by Randall Balmer, this brief but insightful book offers a look into the founding fathers' genius--and points to a way forward through the ideological boundaries that threaten to upend the daily doings of American government today.

The tenth and youngest son of a poor Boston soapmaker, Benjamin Franklin would rise to become, in Thomas Jefferson's words, "the greatest man and ornament of his age." In this short, engaging biography, historian Edwin S. Gaustad offers a marvelous portrait of this towering colonial figure, illuminating Franklin's character and personality. Here is truly one of the most extraordinary lives imaginable, a man who, with only two years of formal education, became a printer, publisher, postmaster, philosopher, world-class scientist and inventor, statesman, musician, and abolitionist. Gaustad presents a chronological account of all these accomplishments, delightfully spiced with quotations from Franklin's own extensive writings. The book describes how the hardworking Franklin became at age 24 the most successful printer in Pennsylvania and how by 42, with the help of Poor Richard's Almanack, he had amassed enough wealth to retire from business. We then follow Franklin's next brilliant career, as an inventor and scientist, examining his pioneering work on electricity and his inventions of the Franklin Stove, the lightning rod, and bifocals, as well as his mapping of the Gulf Stream, a major contribution to navigation. Lastly, the book covers Franklin's role as America's leading statesman, ranging from his years in England before the Revolutionary War to his time in France thereafter, highlighting his many contributions to the cause of liberty. Along the way, Gaustad sheds light on Franklin's personal life, including his troubled relationship with his illegitimate son William, who remained a Loyalist during the Revolution, and Franklin's thoughts on such topics as religion and morality. Written by a leading authority on colonial America, this compact biography captures in a remarkably small space one of the most protean lives in American history. "Gaustad's admirable brief life of Benjamin Franklin is written with grace and informed by a lifetime of close and thoughtful study of the American past." -R. B. Bernstein, author of Thomas Jefferson

Unto a Good Land offers a distinctive narrative history of the American people -- from the first contacts between Europeans and North America's native inhabitants, through the creation of a modern nation, to the standing of the United States as a world power. Written by a team of distinguished historians led by David Edwin Harrell, Jr. and Edwin S. Gaustad, this textbook shows how grasping the uniqueness of the bAmerican experimentb depends on understanding the role of religion as well as social, cultural, political, and economic factors in shaping U.S. history.A common shortcoming of most United States history textbooks is that while, in recent decades, they have expanded their coverage of social and cultural history, they still tend to shortchange the role of religious ideas, practices, and movements in the American past. Unto a Good Land addresses this shortcoming in a balanced way. The authors recognize that religion is only one of many factors that have influenced our past -- one, however, that has often been neglected in textbook accounts. This volume gives religion its appropriate place in the story.Unprecedented coverage of the forces that have shaped the history of the United States
While none of America's rich history is left out, this volume is the first U.S. history textbook to give serious attention to the religious dimension of American life. This textbook is not a religious history; instead, it offers an account of American history that includes religious ideas, practices, and movements whenever they played a shaping role.Comprehensive and current
This volume traces the American story from the earliest encounters between the first North Americaninhabitants and Europeans through the 2004 presidential election. Complete and balanced treatment is also given to issues of gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as cultural, political, and economic forces.A clear and compelling narrative
The authors are more than expert historians; they are also talented writers who recognize history to be the retelling of human life. United by a seamless narrative structure, these chapters restore the bstoryb to history.Multiple formats specially designed for flexible classroom use
Unto a Good Land is available as a single hardcover edition or as two paperback volumes, offering maximum flexibility when adapting curriculum for one- and two-semester courses in U.S. history. The two paperback volumes can be used for U.S. history survey courses divided at 1865 or 1900 -- or at any date in between.Informative special features to complement the text
In addition to the book's exceptional narrative, an array of special features enhances the instructional value of the text and points students to resources for further study.Includes assistance for teaching and test preparation
The instructor's manual for Unto a Good Land provides helpful suggestions for lesson plans and assignments, and the test bank provides multiple-choice and essay questions for use as study aids, quizzes, or tests.Suitable for instruction at both secular and religious colleges and universities
Drawing on their experience in both secular and religious schools, the authors have ensured that this textbook is suitable for U.S. history classes in a wide variety of settings.

"Unto a Good Land offers a distinctive narrative history of the American people -- from the first contacts between Europeans and North America's native inhabitants, through the creation of a modern nation, to the standing of the United States as a world power. Written by a team of distinguished historians led by David Edwin Harrell, Jr. and Edwin S. Gaustad, this textbook shows how grasping the uniqueness of the bAmerican experimentb depends on understanding the role of religion as well as social, cultural, political, and economic factors in shaping U.S. history.

A common shortcoming of most United States history textbooks is that while, in recent decades, they have expanded their coverage of social and cultural history, they still tend to shortchange the role of religious ideas, practices, and movements in the American past. "Unto a Good Land addresses this shortcoming in a balanced way. The authors recognize that religion is only one of many factors that have influenced our past -- one, however, that has often been neglected in textbook accounts. This volume gives religion its appropriate place in the story.

"Unprecedented coverage of the forces that have shaped the history of the United States
While none of America's rich history is left out, this volume is the first U.S. history textbook to give serious attention to the religious dimension of American life. This textbook is not a religious history; instead, it offers an account of American history that includes religious ideas, practices, and movements whenever they played a shaping role.

"Comprehensive and current
This volume traces the American story from the earliest encounters between the first North Americaninhabitants and Europeans through the 2004 presidential election. Complete and balanced treatment is also given to issues of gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as cultural, political, and economic forces.

"A clear and compelling narrative
The authors are more than expert historians; they are also talented writers who recognize history to be the retelling of human life. United by a seamless narrative structure, these chapters restore the bstoryb to history.

"Multiple formats specially designed for flexible classroom use
"Unto a Good Land is available as a single hardcover edition or as two paperback volumes, offering maximum flexibility when adapting curriculum for one- and two-semester courses in U.S. history. The two paperback volumes can be used for U.S. history survey courses divided at 1865 or 1900 -- or at any date in between.

"Informative special features to complement the text
In addition to the book's exceptional narrative, an array of special features enhances the instructional value of the text and points students to resources for further study.

"Includes assistance for teaching and test preparation
The instructor's manual for "Unto a Good Land provides helpful suggestions for lesson plans and assignments, and the test bank provides multiple-choice and essay questions for use as study aids, quizzes, or tests.

"Suitable for instruction at both secular and religious colleges and universities
Drawing on their experience in both secular and religious schools, the authors have ensured that this textbook is suitable for U.S. history classes in a wide variety of settings.

Up-to-date one-volume edition of a standard text. For decades students and scholars have turned to the two-volume Documentary History of Religion in America for access to the most significant primary sources relating to American religious history from the 16th century to the present. This 4th edition-published in a single volume for the first time-has been updated and condensed, allowing instructors to more easily cover the material in a single semester. With more than 100 illustrations and a rich array of primary documents ranging from the letters and accounts of early colonists to tweets and transcripts from the 2016 presidential election, this volume remains an essential text for readers who want to encounter firsthand the astonishing scope of religious belief and practice in American history.

In this book, Edwin S. Gaustad traces the conflicted and often difficult relationship between religion and government throughout American history, beginning with the colonists' concerns after the Revolution and continuing through the 1990s and the current debate about religion in schools. Additional material consists of chronology, further reading and an index. An eight-page insert of black and white photos complements the text.

The founder of Rhode Island and of the first Baptist Church in America, an original and passionate advocate for religious freedom, a rare New England colonist who befriended Native Americans and took seriously their culture and their legal rights, Roger Williams is the forgotten giant among the first English colonists. Now, Edwin S. Gaustad, a leading expert on the life of Roger Williams, offers a vividly written and authoritative biography of the most far-seeing of the early settlers-the first such biography written for a general audience. Readers follow Roger and Mary Williams on their 1631 journey to Boston, where he soon became embroiled in many controversies, most notably, his claim that the colonists had unjustly taken Native American lands and his argument that civil authorities could not enforce religious duties. Soon banished for these troubling (if farsighted) views, Williams wandered for fourteen weeks in bitter snow until he bought land from the Narragansett Indians and founded Providence, which soon became a sanctuary for religious freedom and a refuge for dissenters of all stripes. The book discusses Williams' journey back to London, where he sought legal recognition of his colony, spread his enlightened views on Native Americans, and (alongside John Milton) fought passionately for religious freedom. Gaustad also describes how the royal charter of Rhode Island, obtained by Williams in 1663, would become the blueprint of religious freedom for many other colonies and a foundation stone for the First Amendment. Here then is a vibrant portrait of a great American who is truly worthy of remembrance.

The tenth and youngest son of a poor Boston soapmaker, Benjamin Franklin would rise to become, in Thomas Jefferson's words, "the greatest man and ornament of his age." In this short, engaging biography, historian Edwin S. Gaustad offers a marvelous portrait of this towering colonial figure, illuminating Franklin's character and personality. Here is truly one of the most extraordinary lives imaginable, a man who, with only two years of formal education, became a printer, publisher, postmaster, philosopher, world-class scientist and inventor, statesman, musician, and abolitionist. Gaustad presents a chronological account of all these accomplishments, delightfully spiced with quotations from Franklin's own extensive writings. The book describes how the hardworking Franklin became at age 24 the most successful printer in Pennsylvania and how by 42, with the help of Poor Richard's Almanack, he had amassed enough wealth to retire from business. We then follow Franklin's next brilliant career, as an inventor and scientist, examining his pioneering work on electricity and his inventions of the Franklin Stove, the lightning rod, and bifocals, as well as his mapping of the Gulf Stream, a major contribution to navigation. Lastly, the book covers Franklin's role as America's leading statesman, ranging from his years in England before the Revolutionary War to his time in France thereafter, highlighting his many contributions to the cause of liberty. Along the way, Gaustad sheds light on Franklin's personal life, including his troubled relationship with his illegitimate son William, who remained a Loyalist during the Revolution, and Franklin's thoughts on such topics as religion and morality. Written by a leading authority on colonial America, this compact biography captures in a remarkably small space one of the most protean lives in our nation's history.