How did the United States; founded as colonies with explicitly religious aspirations; come to be the first modern state whose commitment to the separation of church and state was reflected in its constitution? Frank Lambert explains why this happened; offering in the process a synthesis of American history from the first British arrivals through Thomas Jefferson's controversial presidency. Lambert recognizes that two sets of spiritual fathers defined the place of religion in early America: what Lambert calls the Planting Fathers; who brought Old World ideas and dreams of building a "City upon a Hill;" and the Founding Fathers; who determined the constitutional arrangement of religion in the new republic. While the former proselytized the "one true faith;" the latter emphasized religious freedom over religious purity. Lambert locates this shift in the mid-eighteenth century. In the wake of evangelical revival; immigration by new dissenters; and population expansion; there emerged a marketplace of religion characterized by sectarian competition; pluralism; and widened choice. During the American Revolution; dissenters found sympathetic lawmakers who favored separating church and state; and the free marketplace of religion gained legal status as the Founders began the daunting task of uniting thirteen disparate colonies. To avoid discord in an increasingly pluralistic and contentious society; the Founders left the religious arena free of government intervention save for the guarantee of free exercise for all. Religious people and groups were also free to seek political influence; ensuring that religion's place in America would always be a contested one; but never a state-regulated one. An engaging and highly readable account of early American history; this book shows how religious freedom came to be recognized not merely as toleration of dissent but as a natural right to be enjoyed by all Americans.
#276516 in Books Princeton University Press 1997-09-15 1997-09-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .57 x 6.00l; .76 #File Name: 069103754X208 pages
Review
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful. Very interestingBy Maria Pia CapozzoliAs a strong reader with a great interest in the "Troubles"; I've read many books; by T. P. Coogan; P. Taylor; M. Dillon and others. I found most of them very interesting; but I was amazed by the overwhelming "shattering silence" about women. For instance; in 519 pages of Coogan's "The Troubles"; one of the most important IRA women; Mairead Farrell; well known far beyond the Irish borders; gets only 11 lines.While I was reading these books I wondered why the writers seemed so little interested in highlighting the actual women's role in the "war". In their researches women are seen and interviewed (when they are interviewed)just as mothers; wives; sisters; never as women with their own life; stories; experiences; dreams; their own struggle or political involvement.Begona Aretxaga gives us a convincing answer about the roots and the meaning of this silence. She fills the gap between the Myth of Mother Ireland and the real life of the real women in the North; and; in so doing; she offers an excellent contribution in women studies in Ireland; beyond the stereotypes that sometimes affect mainstreaming feminism. But she also offers a helpful key to understand the "Truobles" as a whole. Her arguing about "the parallel between the struggle of republican women for recognition and voice within the republican movement; and the struggle of republican movement for recognition and voice within the arena of Northern Ireland politics"; as well as about the issue of decommissioning; helped me in understanding the full; underlying meaning of what was going on along the difficoult months following the Good Friday Agreement.In Aretxaga's words; "this book is an ethnography of unrecognised and misrecognized nationalist working-class women" as political subjects; and it's very useful to people who wish to know more about gender and violence in Northern Ireland thruogh the last 30 years. But because of its analysis of the interlocking systems of inequality of colonialism; class and gender; I recommend it to everyone interested in getting a better comprehension of the complexities of the Troubles and of the ongoing; difficoult; sometimes disheartening; peace process.10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Mnà na hEireannBy A CustomerWhen discussing the troubles in Northern Ireland; women are seldom mentioned at all. And when they are mentioned; mostly they are depicted as passive victims of a male-dominated war waged in a male-dominated society. This is often the case; but not a reason in itself to deny or underestimate women's contribution to political and social development in Ulster. Begona Aretxaga's book; born from the author's "prima facie" experience during a 15 months stay in West Belfast (plus several other visits in loco); is a successful attempt to analyse the role of women in Nationalist/Republican struggle. The author makes excellent use of anthropological and ethnographic categories in order to stress the importance of West Belfast women in contributing to the strategies of Irish Republicanism and the creation of Irish Nationalist identity. Although cast in an environment which tends to limit their participation to social life according to traditional values; Nationalist women often succeeded in breaking socially determined barriers. In doing so they contributed to Irish history more than is generally recognized. Moreover; the author's feminist approach; far from being a limit to her analysis; is an effective intellectual tool and succeeds in bringing to the fore a perspective on Irish troubles too often overlooked by many.
