One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Shaped Christian America - Explore the Influence of Faith in Business and Society
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Product Description
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.
Customer Reviews
Like so many others this book is about politics. What it is not - is another one of those research deficient screeds that are one percent fact and 99 percent fantasy pulled out of someone's behind. It is fully annotated, with references and a bibliography that is both impressive for its references and its sources. Every paragraph and every assertion is factcheckable. Names, dates and places are attached to the narrative leaving the debunkers little room to quibble.It begins with the Election of DD Eisenhower in 1952 and describes, in an exhaustively researched narrative, how we have through the succeeding administrations erroneously come to believe that we are a Christian Nation instead of a Nation of Christians. The meticulousness of the references prevents it from being a page turner, but it is a fascinating read for those who believe the Conservatives have hijacked God and the Flag, but don't know how it happened. Kruse details the process and the players during the 63 years Americans have been turned from a more liberal secularism to a more conservative sectarianism.Conservatives will not like the obvious conclusions to be drawn from "One Nation Under God", but they will find a lot to like in it. As I read certain passages I could almost hear them echoing, "THAT'S RIGHT" and "Of COURSE", not realizing they are affirming sectarianism and authoritarianism which are contrary to their reverently held Constitution. Liberals, who feel that the Conservatives have appropriated patriotism as their exclusive property, will find the facts to support their own Constitutional ideals.I give it 5 stars for scholarliness, sticking to the facts, timeliness, historical veracity, and as a book that will become a valuable reference for future study.
