One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America PDF
Preview One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America
PRAISE FOR ONE NATION UNDER GOD “Certain to be controversial, One Nation Under God persuasively reveals how business opponents of the New Deal joined forces with crusading ministers to place religious piety at the core of the American story. The book’s redo- lent account of this underestimated mid-century point of inflection compels a reassessment of how and when the United States came to be regarded as a consecrated Christian nation.” —Ira Katznelson, author of Fear Itself: The New Deal and the Origins of Our Time “Kevin M. Kruse’s startling One Nation Under God reveals the extraordinary Cold War politics that put ‘under God’ in America’s Pledge of Allegiance, ‘In God We Trust’ on U.S. stamps, and Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Command- ments on Hollywood’s biggest movie list. The political warriors for a ‘Christian America’ made the Puritans look like pikers, and Kruse dissects their suc- cesses and foibles with grace, glowing research, and more than a little humor. A compelling read!” —Jon Butler, Professor Emeritus of American Studies, History, and Religious Studies at Yale University “In this brilliant and iconoclastic book, Kevin M. Kruse shows how an unholy alliance of greedy businessmen, venal clergy, and conservative politicians exploited American spirituality for partisan gain. Kruse’s research is extraordi- nary, his prose vivid, his argument profound. One Nation Under God is essen- tial reading for anyone interested in understanding contemporary culture in the United States.” —Ari Kelman, author of the Bancroft Prize– winning A Misplaced Massacre 9780465049493-text.indd 1 1/23/15 12:38 PM 9780465049493-text.indd 2 1/23/15 12:38 PM O N E N AT I O N U N D E R G O D 9780465049493-text.indd 1 1/23/15 12:38 PM 9780465049493-text.indd 2 1/23/15 12:38 PM O N E N A T I O N U N D E R G O D How Corporate America Invented Christian America K E V I N M . K R U S E A Member of the Perseus Books Group New York 9780465049493-text.indd 3 1/23/15 12:38 PM Copyright © 2015 by Kevin M. Kruse Published by Basic Books A Member of the Perseus Books Group All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Basic Books, 250 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10107. Books published by Basic Books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected]. Designed by Brent Wilcox Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kruse, Kevin Michael, 1972- One nation under God : how corporate America invented Christian America / Kevin M. Kruse. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-465-04949-3 (hardback : alkaline paper)—ISBN 978-0-465-04064-3 (ebook) 1. Christianity and politics—United States—History—20th century. 2. Church and state—United States—History—20th century. 3. New Deal, 1933–1939—Public opinion. 4. Corporations—Political activity—United States—History—20th century. 5. Conservatism—United States—History—20th century. 6. Political culture—United States—History—20th century. 7. Social conflict—United States—History—20th century. 8. United States—Religion—20th century. 9. United States—Politics and government—1933–1945. 10. United States—Politics and government—1945–1989. I. Title. BR517.K78 2015 322’.10973—dc23 2014035883 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 9780465049493-text.indd 4 1/23/15 12:38 PM For Maggie and Sam 9780465049493-text.indd 5 1/23/15 12:38 PM 9780465049493-text.indd 6 1/23/15 12:38 PM C O N T E N T S INTRODUCTION ix PART I: CREATION 1 “Freedom Under God” 3 2 The Great Crusades 35 PART II: CONSECRATION 3 “Government Under God” 67 4 Pledging Allegiance 95 5 Pitchmen for Piety 127 PART III: CONFLICT 6 “Whose Religious Tradition?” 165 7 “Our So-Called Religious Leaders” 203 8 “Which Side Are You On?” 239 Epilogue 275 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 295 NOTES 299 INDEX 339 [ vii ] 9780465049493-text.indd 7 1/23/15 12:38 PM
Description:The list of books you might like
