OAH Magazine of History
Volume 22, No 1
January 2008

Copyright ©
Organization of American Historians

From the Editor

Teaching Religion in America and Race

Phillip Guerty

Religion continues to play a central role in American life and as a result, remains integral to classroom discussions of the American past and of how that past shapes the present. This fact is especially revealed in the presidential campaigns currently going on around the country where candidates and commentators continually center their attention on religious beliefs and the historical relationship between church and state. Perhaps the best example of this focus is the amount of media attention paid to Mitt Romney’s recent speech about religion and his Mormon faith at College Station, Texas. Much like John F. Kennedy’s address about his Catholic beliefs to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association during the 1960 presidential campaign, Romney’s speech attempted to reassure potential voters that his religious ideas were compatible with their political views.

Romney and Kennedy felt the need to address the issue specifically because their respective religions were seen as outside mainstream Protestant America. The two speeches, however, had different messages. On the one hand, Kennedy assured his audience of predominately Protestant ministers that he believed that the separation between church and state was “absolute,” and that his religion would not affect decisions he made as president. Romney, on the other hand, argued that the separation had been taken too far, noting "the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life." He also added that "Freedom requires religion, just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul." The two speeches reveal the ways that the present and past seem to be continuously linked by the importance given to the role of religion in public policy and, as a result, what the Founders envisioned for the nation. Many conservatives argue that the United Sates has, and always will be, a "Christian nation." More liberal thinkers counter that religious pluralism has always characterized America.

Given the role of religion in politics today and in so many other aspects of American life, the place of history teachers is all the more important in helping students understand religion as a category of historical analysis. As I am continually reminded in my own classroom here in Indiana, teaching the history of religion can be a challenge, especially when faced with the very personal and oftentimes very emotional responses that discussions of religion can evoke. In putting together this issue of the OAH Magazine of History, Stephen Stein is mindful of these challenges and has provided teachers with an important tool for navigating these often difficult waters. As Stein notes in his introduction, the "American religious scene is more complex today than ever before, and as a result, it makes greater demand on all of us as teachers of American history." Taking a mostly chronological approach, Stein has compiled an exceptional range of articles. Kevin Sweeney explores religion in colonial America, paying special attention to the diversity of religious beliefs among Native Americans as well as the development of both religious toleration and intolerance. Curtis Johnson moves the discussion into the nineteenth century with his examination of how European religious traditions were changed once arriving in America while, at the same time, new, uniquely American religious communities were created. Robert Fogarty continues the discussion of new religious groups by focusing on, among other things, the emergence of the Oneida community, the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints, and Christian Science. Marie Griffith looks at the present by linking globalization and religious diversity. As the U.S. has become more internationalized—with the inclusion of more Asians, Africans, and Latinos—so too has American religious life.

Stein has also included four teaching strategies that explore the complexity of religion in the U.S. Thomas Hamm provides an invaluable resource for any classroom discussion of the religious clauses of the First Amendment. Using a wide range of primary sources, Amanda Porterfield explores the various ways that Americans have used the Bible, from supporting the revolution against British rule to defending the institution of slavery. Timothy Hall’s teaching strategy questions the perception that evangelicalism is a monolithic, conservative movement through exploring evangelical sources over time. Edward Curtis suggests using students’ own experiences and knowledge as a starting point for integrating discussions of Islam and Muslims into the U.S. History Survey. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History has provided two letters from President George Washington concerning religious liberty in the early republic. I want to thank Steve and all of the contributors for producing such a wonderful issue of the Magazine.

The 2007 OAH Annual Meeting in New York

I would like to encourage teachers to attend the 101st Annual Meeting of the OAH in New York City, Friday, March 28 to Monday, March 31, 2008. With fifteen sessions focusing on religion, this year’s meeting—which has the theme, "Bringing Us All Together"—features a wide range of teaching-centered sessions and activities. This year’s program includes: "Doing History": Innovative Approaches to Teaching Courses in Historical Methods; Teaching “The Levees”: Stimulating Democratic Dialogues on Race and Class in American Schools and Colleges; Getting It: New Approaches to Engaging Students in the Active-Learning Classroom; Who Needs Summer Vacation? Organizing and Running Institutes for Primary and Secondary School Teachers; Re-envisioning the American History Survey Course: Teaching from a Visual Perspective; Teaching Judicial History: Federal Trials and Great Debates in United States History; Roundtable: Teaching Lincoln (cosponsored by the OAH Magazine of History and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission); State of the Field: History Teaching and Learning; Was the Constitution a Pro-Slavery Document? Teaching and Debating About Race in Public School Classrooms; and the Focus on Teaching Luncheon.

This year’s meeting will also feature the New York City Public School Exhibition on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30. The Exhibition will feature more than seventy-five projects from public school students in New York City. The projects represent partnerships between the New York City network of Teaching American History grant directors and a diverse group of organizations including Teaching Matters Inc., the Justice Resource Center, City Hall Academy, and the Museum of the City of New York. Projects will include three dimensional displays, papers, computer projects, performances, and more.

For more information about the annual meeting, visit <http://www.oah.org/2008>.