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.
One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America
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Author: Kruse, Kevin M.
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 9780465097418
Details:
Author: Kruse, Kevin M.
Brand: Basic Books
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 384
Release Date: 03-05-2016
Package Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches Languages: English
EAN: 9780465097418
