Understanding and Teaching Religion in US History
Published on 18. June 2024
Book
Hardback
344 pages
978-0-299-34630-0 (ISBN)
Description
Religion is deeply embedded in American history, and one cannot understand American history's broad dynamics without accounting for it. Without detailing the history of religions, teachers cannot properly explain key themes in US survey courses, such as politics, social dynamics, immigration and colonization, gender, race, or class. From early Native American beliefs and practices, to European explorations of the New World, to the most recent presidential elections, religion has been a significant feature of the American story. In Understanding and Teaching Religion in US History, a diverse group of eminent historians and history teachers provide a practical tool for teachers looking to improve history instruction at the upper-level secondary and undergraduate level.
This book offers a breadth of voices and approaches to teaching this crucial part of US history. Religion can be a delicate topic, especially in public education, and many students and teachers bring strongly held views and identities to their understanding of the past. The editors and contributors aim to help the reader see religion in fresh ways, to present sources and perspectives that may be unfamiliar, and to suggest practical interventions in the classroom that teachers can use immediately.
This book offers a breadth of voices and approaches to teaching this crucial part of US history. Religion can be a delicate topic, especially in public education, and many students and teachers bring strongly held views and identities to their understanding of the past. The editors and contributors aim to help the reader see religion in fresh ways, to present sources and perspectives that may be unfamiliar, and to suggest practical interventions in the classroom that teachers can use immediately.
Reviews / Votes
"An important contribution. Engagingly written and effectively organized, Understanding and Teaching Religion in US History provides especially useful frameworks for educators seeking ways to thoughtfully integrate religion throughout US survey courses." - William S. Cossen, Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology"A terrific combination of teaching pedagogy and pragmatic ideas of how to incorporate American religious history in the classroom. I wish this book existed when I first started teaching. Highly recommended!" - Evan Jasper, Wheaton Academy
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Wisconsin
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
4 b&w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
710 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-299-34630-0 (9780299346300)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Karen J. Johnson, an associate professor and chair of history at Wheaton College, is the author of One in Christ: Chicago Catholics and the Quest for Interracial Justice.
Jonathan M. Yeager is the LeRoy A. Martin Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is the author of Jonathan Edwards and Transatlantic Print Culture, named Book of the Year by the Jonathan Edwards Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Jonathan M. Yeager is the LeRoy A. Martin Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He is the author of Jonathan Edwards and Transatlantic Print Culture, named Book of the Year by the Jonathan Edwards Center at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Why Religion Matters in Teaching US History - Karen J. Johnson and Jonathan M. Yeager
Part One: Frameworks for Teaching Religion in American History
Teaching American Religious History Academically - Thomas S. Kidd
Adding Religion to Themes You Already Teach: Religion as a Component of Diversity in America - Kevin M. Schultz
Talking about Religion and Race in the Classroom - Karen J. Johnson
African American Religious Experiences and Narratives of American History - Paul Harvey
Religion in American Women's History - Andrea L. Turpin
Teaching Native American Religious Experiences and Narratives in the Classroom - Melissa Franklin Harkrider
Teaching American Islam in the American History Classroom - Jaclyn A. Michael
Asian Religious Influences in American Life - Elijah Siegler
Teaching American Judaism - Jonathan B. Krasner
Part Two: Teaching Religion in American History in Specific Periods
Political Reform and Devotional Culture in Early New England - Adrian Weimer
Teaching the First Great Awakening - John Howard Smith
Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? - John Fea
The Constitution and Religion in the Early Republic - Daniel L. Dreisbach
Religion and Westward Expansion - John G. Turner
The Bible and Slavery before the Civil War - Mark Noll
What Connections Were There between Imperialism and Missionary Activity? - Kimberly Hill
American Religion during the Industrial Crisis of the Gilded Age - Heath Carter
The Prosperity Gospel in US History and Culture - Phillip Luke Sinitiere
The Effects of the Fundamentalist Modernist Split - George Marsden
How Did the Depression Change the Relationship between Church and State? - Alison Collis Greene
Religion during World War II and the Cold War - Matthew Avery Sutton
Teaching Religion in the Civil Rights Movement - J. Russell Hawkins
Teaching the Rise of the Religious Right in the Age of Culture Wars - Darren Dochuk
Contributors
Index
Introduction: Why Religion Matters in Teaching US History - Karen J. Johnson and Jonathan M. Yeager
Part One: Frameworks for Teaching Religion in American History
Teaching American Religious History Academically - Thomas S. Kidd
Adding Religion to Themes You Already Teach: Religion as a Component of Diversity in America - Kevin M. Schultz
Talking about Religion and Race in the Classroom - Karen J. Johnson
African American Religious Experiences and Narratives of American History - Paul Harvey
Religion in American Women's History - Andrea L. Turpin
Teaching Native American Religious Experiences and Narratives in the Classroom - Melissa Franklin Harkrider
Teaching American Islam in the American History Classroom - Jaclyn A. Michael
Asian Religious Influences in American Life - Elijah Siegler
Teaching American Judaism - Jonathan B. Krasner
Part Two: Teaching Religion in American History in Specific Periods
Political Reform and Devotional Culture in Early New England - Adrian Weimer
Teaching the First Great Awakening - John Howard Smith
Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? - John Fea
The Constitution and Religion in the Early Republic - Daniel L. Dreisbach
Religion and Westward Expansion - John G. Turner
The Bible and Slavery before the Civil War - Mark Noll
What Connections Were There between Imperialism and Missionary Activity? - Kimberly Hill
American Religion during the Industrial Crisis of the Gilded Age - Heath Carter
The Prosperity Gospel in US History and Culture - Phillip Luke Sinitiere
The Effects of the Fundamentalist Modernist Split - George Marsden
How Did the Depression Change the Relationship between Church and State? - Alison Collis Greene
Religion during World War II and the Cold War - Matthew Avery Sutton
Teaching Religion in the Civil Rights Movement - J. Russell Hawkins
Teaching the Rise of the Religious Right in the Age of Culture Wars - Darren Dochuk
Contributors
Index