American Civil Religion

Peter Gardella is Professor of World Religions at Manhattanville College.

• Acknowledgments ; 1. What Is American Civil Religion? ; 2. America: The Name, the Concept, and the Word ; 3. Jamestown and Its Anniversaries ; 4. The Mayflower Compact ; 5. Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrims and the Indians ; 6. City on a Hill: From Jesus to Winthrop, Kennedy, and Reagan ; 7. The Freedom Trail and Boston Common ; 8. The Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Slave Quarters ; 9. The Flag ; 10. The Declaration of Independence ; 11. The Great Seal and the Dollar Bill ; 12. The Constitution ; 13. Washington, D.C.: The City, the Capitol, and the White House ; 14. The Star-Spangled Banner ; 15. The Washington Monument ; 16. The Battle Hymn of the Republic ; 17. Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Address ; 18. Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address ; 19. Arlington National Cemetery ; 20. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ; 21. America the Beautiful ; 22. The Lincoln Memorial ; 23. Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills ; 24. God Bless America ; 25. This Land Is Your Land ; 26. The Four Freedoms ; 27. Iwo Jima: The Picture, the Monuments, and the Battle ; 28. Disney Parks ; 29. The Kennedy Inaugural ; 30. King's Speeches: The Mall (1963) and Memphis (1968) ; 31. Vietnam Veterans' Memorial ; 32. Transforming the National Mall ; 33. Ground Zero, Martyrdom, and Empire ; 34. Conflict, Consensus, and the Future ; Index

Deeply significant...a book such as Gardella's can do much to help orient Americans to their stated commitments to equality, peace, and cultural tolerance. Thus, Gardella's American Civil Religion promises to make a unique and valuable contribution to Americans' understanding of themselves and commitment to greater faithfulness to their most cherished ideals.