Allitt - American Religious History |top|: Ttc - Prof. Patrick N

The course covers the Cold War-era "spiritual peace," the rise of "Eisenhower spirituality," and the fierce anti-communism of groups like the Catholic Church.

In the canon of American history, the narrative is often dominated by secular titans: constitutional framers in powdered wigs, industrial barons in top hats, and generals on horseback. Yet, as Professor Patrick N. Allitt compellingly argues in American Religious History , to view the nation through a purely political or economic lens is to miss the engine room of the American soul. From the first Puritan settlements to the rise of the "spiritual but not religious," the United States has been not merely a nation with a religious history, but a nation forged by religious history. Professor Allitt’s course demonstrates that the unique character of the United States—its volatility, its diversity, its capacity for both profound cruelty and radical redemption—is inextricably linked to the continuous, cacophonous argument over the divine. TTC - Prof. Patrick N Allitt - American Religious History

The centerpiece of this section is the Second Great Awakening. Prof. Allitt vividly describes the Cane Ridge Revival in Kentucky—tens of thousands of settlers convulsing, barking, and speaking in tongues. He links this emotional, democratic spirituality to the rise of new, indigenous American denominations: The Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), the Seventh-day Adventists, and the Disciples of Christ. His lecture on Joseph Smith and the founding of Mormonism is a masterclass in handling controversial history without ridicule or hagiography. The course covers the Cold War-era "spiritual peace,"