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Religion & State, American Colonial History - Religious Aspects, 18th Century American History - Politics & Government, U.S. Church History
Founders On God And Government by Daniel Dreisbach β€” book cover

Founders On God And Government

by Daniel Dreisbach, Jeffrey H. Morrison, Mark D. Hall, Mark Hall (Editor), Jeffry Morrison
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Overview

'In God We Trust?' The separation of church and state is a widely contested topic in the American political arena. Whether for or against, debaters frequently base their arguments in the Constitution and the principles of the American founding. However, Americans' perception of the founding has narrowed greatly over the years, focusing on a handful of eminent statesmen. By exploring the work of nine founding fathers, including often overlooked figures like John Carroll and George Mason, The Founders on God and Government provides a more complete picture of America's origins. The contributors, all noted scholars, examine the lives of individual founders and investigate the relationship between their religious beliefs and political thought. Bringing together original documents and analytical essays, this book is an excellent addition to the library of literature on the founding, and sheds new light on religion's contributions to American civic culture.

Synopsis

In The Founders on God and Government, Daniel L. Dreisbach, Mark David Hall, and Jeffry H. Morrison bring together noted scholars to explore the role religion played in the political thoughts and deeds of nine founding fathers. The result is a seminal work that deepens our understanding of the relationship between faith and politics at America's founding.

About the Author, Daniel Dreisbach

Daniel L. Dreisbach is professor of justice, law, and society at American University, and author of Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State. Mark David Hall is associate professor of political science at George Fox University, and author of The Political and Legal Philosophy of James Wilson, 1742-1798. Jeffry H. Morrison is currently James Madison Visiting Fellow in the Department of Politics at Princeton University, and associate professor of government at Regent University; he is author of the forthcoming John Witherspoon and the Founding of the American Republic.

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Editorials

Choice

Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above.

CHOICE

Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates and above.

Journal of the Early Republic

McGarvie's One Nation Under Law is the most innovative recent study of church-state relations in the early republic.

National Liberty Journal

Written by eminent scholars of law, politics, and history, this edited collection of insightful essays examines the vital role of Christianity in the political thought and deeds of influential founding fathers. The Founders on God and Government paints rich biographical portraits of the most famous founders (George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin) and several of the not-so-famous founders (George Mason, James Wilson, John Witherspoon, and the Catholic Carroll family of Maryland). These engaging profiles explore how religion informed the values, political philosophies, and public deeds of these statesmen. The reader gains from these portraits an intimate acquaintance with the subjects and the times in which they lived. This book is essential reading for all citizens who want to understand religion's inestimable contribution to the great American experiment in political self-government and liberty under the law.

The Virginia Magazine Of History and Biography

If the editors of this collection intended it to redress an imbalance resulting from neglect of the founders' religious beliefs, it succeeds...if they hoped to stimulate additional scholarship on the complex interrelationships between sources of the founders' religious beliefs and their political theories, we may hope it will succeed.

Book Details

Published
September 1, 2004
Publisher
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Pages
336
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780742522794

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