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Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 211.4097
EAN: 9780805077766
ISBN: 0805077766
Label: Holt Paperbacks
Manufacturer: Holt Paperbacks
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 448
Publication Date: January 07, 2005
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Release Date: December 23, 2004
Studio: Holt Paperbacks
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Editorial Review:
"Jacoby accomplishes her task with clarity, thoroughness, and an engaging passion."
-Los Angeles Times Book Review At a time when the separation of church and state is under attack as never before, Freethinkers offers a powerful defense of the secularist heritage that gave Americans the first government in the world founded not on the authority of religion but on the bedrock of human reason. In impassioned, elegant prose, celebrated author Susan Jacoby traces more than two hundred years of secularist activism, beginning with the fierce debate over the omission of God from the Constitution. Moving from nineteenth-century abolitionism and suffragism through the twentieth century's civil liberties, civil rights, and feminist movements, Freethinkers illuminates the neglected achievements of secularists who, allied with tolerant believers, have led the battle for reform in the past and today.Rich with such iconic figures as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Paine, and the once-famous Robert Green Ingersoll, Freethinkers restores to history the passionate humanists who struggled against those who would undermine the combination of secular government and religious liberty that is the glory of the American system.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - America's Greatest Gift to the World...
....is secular government, the separation of church and state. Jefferson said it most eloquently when he spoke of a "wall of separation," and for once his actions fully complemented his words. Author Susan Jacoby recounts: "In 1799, Jefferson proposed a bill that would guarantee complete legal equality for citizens of all religions, and of no religion, in his home state of Virginia." Jefferson himself wrote that his bill "meant to comprehend, within the mantel of its protection, the Jew ... Read More
Rating: - Eye-opening
My review from White Crane Journal - Summer 2008
I was a history major in college and have retained a deep interest in historical subjects. I consider myself pretty well-read in history. My time in seminary and a lifetime in the church also left me with what I thought was a pretty good sense of the religious history of the United States. Then I picked up a copy of Susan Jacoby's best-selling book Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism and discovered how little I really knew. It ... Read More
Rating: - Highly recommended
If you care about American history, read this book! You will be informed about the birth of the women's movement and the civil rights movement from their roots. You will learn why the Founding Fathers saw the need to balance the respective roles of religion and government for the benefit of both. You will be introduced to historical figures that were very influencial in their times who have been forgotten today. In short, you will discover American history that is ignored in most history books. ... Read More
Rating: - Not just a history of American secularism
It is that, and a well researched and well written one at that. But more importantly, Jacoby even-handedly describes the history of the push and pull between the forces--religious, secular, political, etc--that have shaped the America we find ourselves in today. She lucidly uncovers the tangled history of this balance of power starting with the early Deists, Atheists, Universalists, Calvinists, and Baptists and moving through the Abolitionists, Suffragists, Jewish and Catholic immigrants, and so on. ... Read More
Rating: - The Other History
Whenever I debate with a Christian about the origins of the U.S. Constitution or the supposed Christian base of our country, I always ask, "When was the last time you read something written by [insert historical figure]?" Of course this same reasoning applies to any historical writing and this one is no exception, so here is my disclaimer:
Don't take everything you read at face value. Don't be lazy, do the research yourself!
With that being said, I must say that Jacoby does provide ... Read More
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