Overview

The First Amendment is categorical and concise on religion and the state: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Nevertheless, these few words have caused much confusion and controversy for successive generations. The debate over religious freedom has often come to the forefront during American history. Since colonial times, Americans have debated how to interpret and apply the First Amendment. Through biographical histories of individuals involved in the freedom of religion debates, readers will discover how individuals' thoughts, beliefs, and actions affected how the religion clauses are viewed today and throughout American history. Topics such as prayer in schools, religious symbols, exemption from military duty, and the pledge of allegience are addressed. Individuals such as Anne Hutchinson, Jerry Falwell, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, and Roger Williams are included. An introductory essay, an appendix of shorter entries on additional figures, and a bibliography are also included.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jonathan A. Wright
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Greenwood Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.70cm , Height: 2.80cm , Length: 24.50cm
Weight:   0.581kg
ISBN:  

9780313318894

ISBN 10:   0313318891
Pages:   296
Publication Date:   30 August 2005
Recommended Age:   From 7 to 17 years
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Religious Freedoms in America The Interest of Righteousness by John Cotton A Woman Not Fit for Our Society by Anne Hutchinson Soul Liberty by Roger Williams From God and the Company by Peter Stuyvesant A Holy Experiment by William Penn American Whig by William Livingston An Equal Claim by Isaac Backus A Matter between Man and His God by Thomas Jefferson Beyond the Cognizance of Civil Society by James Madison Borrowed from the Bible by Lyman Beecher Judging the New Republic by Joseph Story Dagger John by John Hughes A Temple in the Heart by Ralph Waldo Emerson The Cry of the Oppressed by Joseph Smith An Open Gate by Isaac Mayer Wise A Constitutional Weathervane by Joseph Franklin Rutherford A Nation Made to Order by John Collier Freedoms in the Courts by Earl Warren An American Thesis by John Courtney Murray The Religious Right by Jerry Falwell Appendix 1: Minor Biographies Appendix 2: Some Important Supreme Court Cases

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Author Information

Jonathan A. Wright is an independent scholar who has published on various aspects of religious history and has contributed to New Dictionary of National Biography and Dictionary of American History.

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