02212cam a2200337 4500 72159276 TxAuBib 20110101120000.0 060209s2006||||||||||||||||||||||||eng|u 2006041161 9781400065554 1400065550 (OCoLC)64289480 DLC DLC DLC TxAuBib Meacham, Jon. American gospel : God, the founding fathers, and the making of a nation / Jon Meacham. 1st ed. New York : Random House, 2006. xii, 399 p. : ill. ; 22 cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. [359]-387). Author Meacham tells the human story of how the Founding Fathers viewed faith, and how they ultimately created a nation in which belief in God is a matter of choice. At a time when our country seems divided by extremism, this book draws on the past to offer a new perspective. Meacham re-creates the history of a nation grappling with religion and politics--from John Winthrop's "city on a hill" sermon to Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence; from a proposed nineteenth-century Christian Amendment to the Constitution to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s call for civil rights; from George Washington to Ronald Reagan. At the heart of the American experiment lies what Benjamin Franklin called "public religion," a God who invests all human beings with inalienable rights while protecting private religion from government interference. It is a great American balancing act, and it has served us well.--From publisher description. 20110101. Religion and politics United States History. Christianity and politics United States History. National characteristics, American. United States Religion. United States History Religious aspects Christianity. https://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0630/2006041161-d.html Publisher description https://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0630/2006041161-b.html Contributor biographical information TXGOR