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Faith and the Founders of the American Republic

Online ISBN:
9780199362417
Print ISBN:
9780199843336
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Faith and the Founders of the American Republic

Mark David Hall (ed.),
Mark David Hall
(ed.)

Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics

George Fox University
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Daniel L. Dreisbach (ed.)
Daniel L. Dreisbach
(ed.)

Professor of Justice, Law and Society

American University
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Published online:
16 April 2014
Published in print:
1 April 2014
Online ISBN:
9780199362417
Print ISBN:
9780199843336
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

Even before the founders were dead and buried, the American public had developed an extraordinary curiosity about their faith commitments (or lack thereof) and the influence of religion on the constitutional republic they established. This fascination has waned little over the last two centuries. Studies of religion and the founding fathers typically focus on the beliefs of a handful of elite founders—Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton. With the exception of Adams, all these men either were or became Anglicans. As such, this scholarship ignores the rich range of religious traditions that informed the political culture of the American founding. Faith and the Founders of the American Republic addresses this shortcoming by offering essays on a variety of religious views and beliefs that shaped late-eighteenth-century public life, such as the contribution of evangelical denominations to advancing religious liberty. Thematic chapters consider minority faiths such as Islam and Judaism, as well as major traditions such as Calvinism. The volume also includes chapters on specific founders carefully selected because they shine light on specific faith communities and/or ideas. Chapters on John Dickinson and Isaac Backus/John Leland, for instance, offer insights into the role of Quakers and Baptists respectively in the founding era. The essays collected in this volume provide compelling evidence that diverse religious traditions were among the intellectual sources that informed and animated the American founding.

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