Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life

"This excellent collection explores the rich diversity of the American mind at the Founding by attending to the spiritual, political, and intellectual convictions of a dozen men and women prominent in the events of that seminal period but relatively neglected by the historians. It fills a major gap left In the literature with its conventional fixation on the life and work of a handful of luminaries. In doing so, it takes seriously the role of religion in grounding devotion to Whig liberty and common law constitutionalism to form a popular consensus that has endured from 1776 until today. Highly readable and thoroughly sourced, this is a book for anyone interested in American history and politics." —Ellis Sandoz, Moyse Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Louisiana State University

"There is no book comparable to The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life. It is a collection of eleven essays on the many neglected figures or, in some cases, the neglected church-state views of duly appreciated figures. The book's appeal goes beyond the realm of constitutional doctrine. In addition to constitutional lawyers, constitutional historians, historians of religion in America, and those who study American political thought will all welcome and value the book." —Gerard V. Bradley, University of Notre Dame Law School

"Dreisbach remarks that membership in the pantheon of leading founders has changed over the last two centuries, with some figures sinking and others rising in step with national events. Although the men currently regarded as preeminent were Deists, most of the revolutionary leaders whose names we hear less often were more orthodox Christians." —Claremont Review of Books

“Following The Founders on God and Government, these essays focus on important Revolutionary generation individuals’ little-known views on religion and society. . . . Articles feature a brief biography, description of subjects’ religious beliefs, and analysis of ideas about churches’ value in public life. . . . All essays are well researched and worthwhile. Most valuable is William Casto’s on Ellsworth, which demonstrates that Senate and House conferees on the First Amendment did not agree and so finessed rather than clarified the major issues.” —Choice

"Why does the Constitution assume a Creator without referring to Him explicitly, as does the Declaration of Independence? The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life . . . is a fount of scholarly information about who believed what and whose beliefs changed. Alexander Hamilton, for example, moved from theistic rationalism to his deathbed statement: ‘I am a sinner: I look to . . . the mercy of the almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.” —World

“The volume is engaging, informative, and valuable with thoughtful explorations of how all of these figures desired the same thing for America—the preservation of right and liberties but strove for them based on various religious principles. Because these people are little known, each essay naturally begins with a brief biography and their credentials. Some authors helpfully describe the historiography of the subjects before they progress to a discussion of their religiously informed political contributions.” —Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

“Occasionally, an edited collection appears that transcends a narrow focus and demands that thinkers from varied disciplines consider its findings. Such is The Forgotten Founders on Religion and Public Life . . . The pages collectively support a thesis that holds deep implications not just for history, political science, and law, but for political activists and legislators as well. Those interested in religious nature of the revolutionary period should consider themselves off the cutting edge of debate until they have read this book.” —The Journal of American History

“A surprisingly cosmopolitan meshing of different views (including contrasting opinions on just how much of a role religion should have in the public domain) evolves, in this excellent effort to assemble a depth and breadth of thought to reveal precisely how America’s founders viewed the church and the state.” —The Midwest Book Review

“Few historical subjects cause more disagreement in American constitutional jurisprudence than church-state relations during the nation’s founding. In this valuable book, historians and historically minded political scientists and law professors probe beyond these arguments’ conventional boundaries. Every category of reader will profit from this fine book; its research is admirably wide and deep, and its standard of writing and argument is uniformly high.” —Journal of American Studies

“This edited volume of thirteen essays provides brief, well-written insights into the religious beliefs and attitudes of several Americans who played prominent roles in the founding of the United States. Its primary accomplishment is its reiteration of the broad range of religious perspectives that existed in the country at the time of its founding. The book will be of interest to general readers as well as to historians who may have been more inclined to focus on other aspects of the lives of its subjects.” —Journal of Church and State