Religion and the American Presidency

by Mark J. Rozell (Editor), Gleaves Whitney (Editor)

Overview

This book chronologically analyzes fourteen key US Presidents, from Washington to Biden, to highlight how religion has informed or influenced their politics and policies. For years, leading scholars have largely neglected religion in presidential studies. Yet, religion has played a significant role in a number of critical presidencies in US history. This volume reveals the deep religious side to such presidents as Truman, Eisenhower, and Reagan, among others, and the impact that faith had on their administrations. Now in its fourth edition, this work includes analysis of Joe Biden as the second Catholic president in United States history and provides a timely update to a key text in the study of religion and the presidency.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031407581
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	12/20/2023
Series:	The Evolving American Presidency
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	703 KB

About the Author

Mark J. Rozell is the Founding Dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, USA, where he holds the Ruth D. and John T. Hazel Faculty Chair in Public Policy. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the intersection of religion and politics and he serves as the editor of the Palgrave Series on Religion, Politics, and Public Policy.

Gleaves Whitney has been the executive director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, USA, since September 2020. Previously he was the Director of the Hauenstein Center for the Study of the Presidency at Grand Valley State University. He has authored or edited 17 books.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction: The Importance of Religion To Understanding the Presidency.- Chapter 2: The Faith of George Washington.- Chapter 3: Thomas Jefferson and the Myth of Separation.- Chapter 4: Religion in the Life, Thought, and Presidency of James Madison.- Chapter 5: Lincoln’s Political Religion and Religious Politics: Or, What Lincoln Teaches Us About the Proper Connection Between Religion and Politics.- Chapter 6: “We Must Put on the Armor of God”: Harry Truman and the Cold War.- Chapter 7: Dwight D. Eisenhower: Civil Religion and the Cold War.- Chapter 8: Secular Icon or Catholic Hero?: Religion and the Presidency of John F. Kennedy.- Chapter 9: Jimmy Carter and the Politics of Faith.- Chapter 10: Ronald Reagan’s Faith and Attack on Soviet Communism.- Chapter 11: The Religion of Bill Clinton.- Chapter 12: The Faith of George W. Bush: The Personal, Practical, and Political.- Chapter 13: President Barack Obama and His Faith.- Chapter 14: Donald J. Trump and the Enduring Religion Factor in US Elections.

Editorial Reviews

"A commitment to religion has persisted across American history regardless of whether the president was a Federalist like Washington, a Jeffersonian like Madison, a Republican like Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Reagan, or a Democrat like Truman, Carter, and Clinton. Religion and the American Presidency is a scholarly benchmark in the presidency studies, and a pioneering new perspective on the highest office in the land. Students of the historical presidency, sociologists of religion, and all people of faith will thoroughly enjoy reading the essays in this volume. Thank you, Professors Rozell and Whitney." - Raymond Tatalovich, Professor of Political Science, Loyola University Chicago'There's no better place to explore the intersection between religion and the presidency than in this collection of fascinating case studies of American presidents. Its readability, scholarship, and balance should appeal to a broad audience of scholars, students, and the general public.'

- William D. Pederson, American Studies Endowed Chair, Louisiana State University in Shreveport

From the Publisher