The...Real History of American Religious Freedom

Few Americans know the real history behind the First Amendment and even fewer understand how the Supreme Court has interpreted the establishment and freedom of religion clauses. They rely on misrepresentations from secular and religious extremists, one saying America was founded as a Christian nation and the other declaring just the opposite. These warring factions variously label our Founding Fathers as Christians, Deists or Atheists, ascribe different meanings to the Declaration of Independence's words, "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," and argue the meaning of early federal actions like hiring a Congressional chaplain, sponsoring Bible publications, ordering soldiers to attend divine services, giving public land to Christian missionaries, or enacting the Northwest Ordinance, which begins "Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary . . . ." But these animated arguments, loosely supported by evidence on both sides, are nothing more than superficial anecdotes designed to deflect Americans from the true history of religious freedom and dissuade them from embracing difficult Supreme Court decisions. They seek to inflame public opinion rather than inform. Finally, America's real history is available to everyone reading this book. And since every reference can be accessed free on the World Wide Web, the reader can supplement the book's contentions with their own research.