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Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism

Susan Jacoby

Paperback | Pages: 370 pages

Rating: 4.05 | 4390 Users | 192 Reviews

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Original Title:	Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism
ISBN:	0805077766 (ISBN13: 9780805077766)
Edition Language:	English

Rendition Concering Books Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism

"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.

Define About Books Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism

Title	:	Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism
Author	:	Susan Jacoby
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Deluxe Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 370 pages
Published	:	January 1st 2005 by Holt McDougal (first published April 5th 2004)
Categories	:	History. Nonfiction. Religion. Philosophy. Atheism. Politics. North American Hi.... American History

Rating About Books Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism

Ratings: 4.05 From 4390 Users | 192 Reviews

Article About Books Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism

Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism presents Susan Jacobys cheerful, well-informed voice in a great review of American history from a secular and liberal point of view, extending from Thomas Paine to George W. Bush. Jacoby is quite clear in showing that many conservative values anti-abortion, anti-communism, pro-guns, anti-science, and others stem from the belief that the Christian religion should be a dominant force in American government.Jacoby begins with the stories of Thomas

Interesting article on Ingersoll in the American Scholar periodical about two years ago. For a quick and dirty appreciation of him.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I cannot overstate how insightful, useful and dare I say, necessary Freethinkers truly is. Not only does Jacoby lay out the best defense of secular values that has ever been written (with the possible exception of the Constitution itself), but she also offers an extremely thorough account of American history through the vision of some of Americas most important figures from the past and present. It is strange to think, how even the late-nineteenth

In this book, Susan Jacoby examines the beginnings of United States as a nation through historical perspective, chiefly focused on its secular roots and its founding fathers. From the beginning of the book, it becomes obvious and clear that the book is thoroughly researched with rich information, including many quotations from such people as Paine, Jefferson, Ingersoll, Stanton, Goldman and many more. It is through quotes and their interpretation/analysis that Susan Jacoby is able to construct a

A solid (albeit a trifle long) history of atheism, agnosticism, secularism, and 'free thinkers' in America. I knew some of this history, but much of it was new to me. If anything, this book has reinforced the necessity for a separation of religion and government in my mind, something that, in recent years, has faded a bit from my thinking. The Founders did not set out to create a Christian nation. Teaching evolution in schools is not something that is controversial outside the fever swamp of

Truly eye-opening. You can not only see how secularists and nonbelievers have been written out of our history, but how it is happening before our eyes today. Even more alarming, is the process by which religious interests of today claim the successes and sacrifices of yesterday's secularists for themselves. Read this and see history differently.

A brilliant, insightful work of history that covers an immense amount of ground in a surprisingly small space. Anyone who thinks that the United States is a "Christian country" or that religious leaders were the primary movers in fights for social justice--from the feminist movement to the abolitionist movement to the Civil Rights movement of the '60s and '70s--should read this book. The truth is that the United States has a rich tradition of freethinkers who were completely secular, often