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The Faiths of Our Fathers

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SKU:
1324
Condition:
New
Format:
Hardcover, 184 pages
Publisher:
Fall River Press, 2006
Edition:
First Edition, Ninth Printing
In this eloquent little book, leading colonial historian Alf J. Mapp, Jr., provides a highly readable overview of the religious beliefs of eleven of the most esteemed men of the generation that declared our independence and wrote the U.S. Constitution. Perhaps for the first time, we confront the breadth and diversity of the Founding Fathers' thinking on religious matters. In fact, their sustained ruminations on issues of religion, conscience, and ethics contributed to making their era one of the greatest in human history. As Mapp contends, there was "no monolithic national faith acknowledged by all Founding Fathers. Their religious attitudes were as varied as their political opinions." This is hardly surprising, as these eleven men -- Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Adams, George Washington, John Marshall, Patrick Henry, Alexander Hamilton, George Mason, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and Haym Solomon -- came from many parts of the colonies and from differing social backgrounds. The Faiths of Our Fathers explores the profound connections between the Revolutionary period and our own. In doing so, it offers a much-needed corrective to the many misconceptions about the role of faith in the lives of our Founding Fathers.

In this eloquent little book, leading colonial historian Alf J. Mapp, Jr., provides a highly readable overview of the religious beliefs of eleven of the most esteemed men of the generation that declared our independence and wrote the U.S. Constitution. Perhaps for the first time, we confront the breadth and diversity of the Founding Fathers' thinking on religious matters. In fact, their sustained ruminations on issues of religion, conscience, and ethics contributed to making their era one of the greatest in human history.

As Mapp contends, there was "no monolithic national faith acknowledged by all Founding Fathers. Their religious attitudes were as varied as their political opinions." This is hardly surprising, as these eleven men -- Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Adams, George Washington, John Marshall, Patrick Henry, Alexander Hamilton, George Mason, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, and Haym Solomon -- came from many parts of the colonies and from differing social backgrounds.

The Faiths of Our Fathers explores the profound connections between the Revolutionary period and our own. In doing so, it offers a much-needed corrective to the many misconceptions about the role of faith in the lives of our Founding Fathers.

Editorial Reviews

"An accessible, well-researched collection of short essays on the Founders that is as informative as it is a delight to read. The Faiths of Our Fathers is a much-needed corrective to many current misconceptions about the role of faith in the lives of the Founders. It is of high value to the student as well as the lay reader." ―The Virginian-Pilot

"Mapp provides a highly readable overview of the religious beliefs of the generation that declared independence and wrote the U.S. Constitution in the 1770s and 1780s...good writing, careful research, and great common sense. Recommended." ―Choice

About the Author

Alf J. Mapp, Jr., has written several works on America's founding and its founders including a widely acclaimed two-volume biography of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson: A Strange Case of Mistaken Identity and Thomas Jefferson: Passionate Pilgrim, both Book-of-the-Month Club featured selections. He resides in Portsmouth, Virginia.