Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism

A fascinating book so far, though very thorough and incredible detail.

Founding Fathers rode a brief window of secularism that enabled them to implement the separation of church & state in the Constitution. And the fight has been on ever since..

Lincoln chapter was ironic in that people remade history in their memories of his religious convictions, and how he invoked more biblical imagery in his speeches as he progressed in his presidency.

Interesting remarks on the Catholic church during the history of the US, and she really made me think about it. Her best point is that the Catholic Church is the only religion that has it's own country(Vatican).

If anything, this book is a bit dated (it was published in 2004), but the issues the author details about debates regarding the separation of church and state are still relevant today. As someone who often aligns more with a secular approach to most issues, this book is refreshing and inspiring in its journey through the secular history of the United States and its focus on the well-known (like Jefferson and Lincoln) and the less well-know (like Thomas Paine and Robert Ingersoll) as a very American story of secularism emerges. This volume is by no means a definitive history and I would argue several topics and figures deserve a more thorough examination, but it is a example of applying a secular lens on American history and through show more that, telling a new story about the country's past. show less

The history of America is the history of American secularism.

In FREETHINKERS: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN SECULARISM, author Susan Jacoby traces the origins and development of freethought in America – and demonstrates how the history of America is intimately intertwined with the history of American secularism.

Starting with the American Revolution and working through American history up to the present day Bush administration, Jacoby offers a concise - but colorful! – overview of secularism, freethought, and the separation of church and state. Though she does discuss the secular roots of the Constitution, only a small portion of FREETHINKERS focuses on the Founding Fathers and their religious beliefs (or lack thereof). Indeed, FREETHINKERS show more is not a treatise on the First Amendment; it does not claim to be. Volumes have been written on what sort of “wall” Jefferson, Adams, Madison, et.al., sought to erect; rather than add to the library, Jacoby offers her view and then moves on. What follows is an analysis of various social movements, such as abolition, women’s suffrage, labor rights and civil rights, with an emphasis on the role in which secularists and freethinkers played in each. Especially interesting are Jacoby’s accounts of abolition and women’s suffrage, what with all the wheeling, dealing and backstabbing that went on behind the scenes. It’s refreshing (or perhaps just downright depressing) to see how much contemporary political maneuvering resembles that of the golden days of freethought and radicalism.

As I devoured FREETHINKERS, I found myself wishing that I had been introduced to similar works during high school. Like many high school students, I found the sanitized, inoffensive history textbooks (both American and global) B-O-R-I-N-G. It wasn’t until I graduated from college and again had time for leisure reading that I discovered uncensored, true-to-life historical nonfiction – and actually took an interest in American history and politics. History doesn’t have to be boring, kids! In fact, it’s almost always as exciting, if not more so, than the latest flick that Hollywood has regurgitated onto the big screen.

Perhaps if books such as FREETHINKERS (as well as James W. Loewen’s Lies My Teacher Told Me and Michael Farquhar's A Treasury of Great American Scandals) were introduced into high school curriculums, we’d raise a new generation of politically engaged and active young citizens – knowledgeable voters who, armed with a profound respect for science, empiricism, and secularism, not to mention a healthy dose of skepticism, would not have elected dubya to office (twice!), and allowed him to wage a war based on 935+ “false statements”.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2008/01/29/freethinkers-by-susan-jacoby/ show less

A fascinating walk through American history from the perspective of "infidels, atheists, freethinkers, agnostics, deists, heretics." Made me think once again of how people are defined in terms of religion (e.g. "people of faith," "believers," etc.) and how "freethinkers" are thus defined most often in negative terms (unbelievers, heretics, "people of no faith,"--I think Obama might even have said that).

Also, the way religions tend to whitewash their histories so that it seems like they've always been on the "right" side of peoples' movements.

And reminded me of the great danger in tying morality/ethics to (someone's conception of) God.

The great tradition of American Freethought is sadly neglected. I'm not sure I read about Darrow or Paine in school -- maybe Paine, in passing -- but certainly not Ingersoll. If I hadn't sought out Darrow, after seeing "Inherit the Wind" as a youngster, or gone off on my own to read Twain beyond Huck Finn, I'm not sure how I would've even know to look for this sort of history. Jacoby effectively conveys both how ignored, maligned, and absolutely crucial to the health of our democracy our heritage of freethought is. It's unlikely my kids will get assigned reading from this book in school, but I'm glad I have it to help fill in the gaps.

(posted on my blog: davenichols.net)

Journalist and scholar Susan Jacoby offers a history of American secular icons, trends, and controversies. From early political and cultural icons like Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine, to the golden days of the Great Agnostic Col. Robert Ingersoll and Elizabeth Stanton, as well as many others, Jacoby weaves a narrative of struggle and fortitude worthy of digesting.

Early American secularists were primarily concerned with keeping religion out of government and vice versa. There can be no doubt about the will of men like Jefferson in establishing a clear wall between church and state matters. Often, as Jacoby narrates, church leaders even supported this stance, understanding that a separation protected show more all flavors of religion.

The struggle of secularists did not end with church and state matters, especially when the abolitionist and feminist movements began to gain steam. Secular leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Standon and William Lloyd Garrison led charges against the clerical nature of religion and forwarded the rights movements with the help of many other secular proponents.

For me, the highlights of the book include the histories of the anti-evolution, anti-feminism, and prayer-in-school movement. The past anti-evolution movement closely mirrors the intelligent design ignorance movement of the modern age. Jacoby destroys that often-espoused sectarian notion that religion championed women's rights, abolition, and other rights (see debate points by apologist Dinesh D'Souza, for instance). While some religious leaders did in fact champion these progressive causes, there were uncountable religious forced allied against them. Slavery, in particular, was often justified by bible-thumping Christians as ordained by God himself. The hatred and bile spewed by conservative Christian leaders over the centuries does not reflect well on the role of religion at all.

Anyone who wants to understand the fight for free speech, free religion, and freethinking should read this book. While it does not delve deeply into most of the people or events involved, it offers a broad history with many key stories that make clear how important, and fragile, the pursuit of secular, freethinking goals are in America. Four stars. show less

An excellent examination of US secular protagonists of the 18th to the 20th century that loses steam as modern issues are approached. The chapter on abolitionism and early feminism is outstanding as is the examination of the (non-)religiosity of Abraham Lincoln. Unfortunately, conservatives and fundamentalists will probably refrain from studying the mistaken ideas of their spiritual ancestors and reexamine their own positions.