Religion In America To 1865

Much has changed during te 40 years since O'Hair was in her prime. . . . One may wonder what O'Hair would think of these changes, but Le Beau leaves no doubt that she would have something to say. The AtheistEssential reading because of its breadth and the significance of its themes.--Joyce D. Goodfriend, University of DenverThere is a real need for this book. There is no existing book that covers this range of material at a level that is approachable for undergraduate studentsand interested non-specialists.--Deborah Madsen, South Bank UniversityReligion in America to 1865 provides the only available survey of religion in the United States from colonization to the Civil War. Its guiding theme is American pluralism. In America, the number and diversity of religious bodies increased to levels unprecedented in the older nations of the world, as did the percentage of Americans who chose to belong to them. Meanwhile, churches with roots in Europe were forced to adapt to their new environment, becoming markedly different from their ancestral faiths.Religion in America to 1865 provides a concise introduction to the central themes of American religious history before the Civil War, covering the history of Native American religions, Colonial American religions, Protestantism, Anglicanism, and African American religions. The book is structured chronologically, allowing connections to be made between religious and secular history.