One Nation Under God
Books | History / United States / 20th Century
3.9
Kevin M. Kruse
The provocative and authoritative history of the origins of Christian America in the New Deal era We're often told that the United States is, was, and always has been a Christian nation. But in One Nation Under God, historian Kevin M. Kruse reveals that the belief that America is fundamentally and formally Christian originated in the 1930s. To fight the "slavery" of FDR's New Deal, businessmen enlisted religious activists in a campaign for "freedom under God" that culminated in the election of their ally Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. The new president revolutionized the role of religion in American politics. He inaugurated new traditions like the National Prayer Breakfast, as Congress added the phrase "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance and made "In God We Trust" the country's first official motto. Church membership soon soared to an all-time high of 69 percent. Americans across the religious and political spectrum agreed that their country was "one nation under God." Provocative and authoritative, One Nation Under God reveals how an unholy alliance of money, religion, and politics created a false origin story that continues to define and divide American politics to this day.
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More Details:
Author
Kevin M. Kruse
Pages
384
Publisher
Basic Books
Published Date
2015-04-14
ISBN
0465040640 9780465040643
Ratings
Google: 4
Community ReviewsSee all
"A detailed and fascinating look at how the Religious Right formed in the US, how politics and organized religion became mixed (to the detriment of both in my opinion), and an in-depth look at the strategies and propaganda it has used to gain and hold onto power. I found this book very interesting and very relate-able to my own upbringing in the "Bible Belt," of the mid-South. What was most fascinating was hearing how this culture formed only one of two generations before me. That being said, this is a *very* detailed book and unless you have a very strong interest in this topic, or are a history/poly sci/religious studies major, you will likely find it fairly dry and too academic. I found it fascinating, but I could only read one chapter at a time, and then had to go back to some fiction to clear my head. However, the themes discussed are still very (scarily) relevant to the social and political climate and the headlines of today."
R T
Rebekah Travis