American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation Audiobook

" fun to read what our founding fathers thought about religion and government. "

" Has some interesting anecdotes, but the bland centrism gets old quickly. "

" I have enjoyed reading about the faith of our founding fathers and thought it would be a good read for many people who aren't sure what separation of church and state means. And that little over-used phrase (separation of church and state) was in a letter written by Jefferson, but is nowhere to be found in the constitution or other official papers. I found that piece of information quite interesting. It could have been shorter, but it was still good. "

" It was a cool book to read. Great insight and beautiful way of interpretting the constitution. Also was awesome to see how the founding fathers would feel about certain issues in big goverment today. "

" A topic i was very interested to read about but dull dull dull "

" An insightful survey of the thin wall separating church and state throughout our nation's existence, and how 'One nation under God' has managed to keep a safe distance from sectarian influence. "

" Great book on a great subject--religion and public life in America. "

" Good read...explains the foundation of religion in american history "

" Excellent book! This should be required reading for all high school history students. "

" Meacham does a great job of putting religion in perspective in the political history of the American Experiment. "

" Read in preperation for my AP US Histoy class. Well organized and thought out, uses historical documents effectively. Interesting view of American History through the lense of religion. "

" Excellent study of religion and our founding fathers. Highly recommend it...half the book consists of letters and writings of the founding fathers supporting the author's views. "

" Well documented account of the tension and interplay of religion in the founding of the United States, and a counterpoint to facile arguments positing America as a Christian nation. "

" I don't like the author much, but his book was ok, and fairly balanced. His conclusions were mostly sound, if some of his examples weak (especially more modern ones). I reviewed the book here. "

" Just once I wish an historian would study the Treaty of Tripoli so we can (once and for all) stop pretending that America was "founded on christianity". Freaking foolish, and very dangerous. "

" Nice work on the separation of church and state that the founding fathers intended "

" Wonderful historical account of the role of religion in American politics. "

" Pretty interesting overview of the intersection of religion and politics through US history - that said it was also a relatively cursory overview and rather disappointing inasmuch as it ended with Regan, except for a passing reference to Jerry Falwell & Pat Robertson's diatribes regarding 9/11. "

" Very nice middle of the road examination of the real role of Christianity in our Nations most powerful office and its influence on the founders. "

" Great insight into the founding fathers and their mixed views on religion. They were not all devout christian men nor were they agnostics or atheists, many of them grappled with questions about god much they way we still do. Wonderful defense of the middle ground in the religious debate. "

" Fantastic yet troubling book about the nation's 7th president. Jackson represented a type of patriotism that was by turns heroic and calloused, but it was always deadly. "

" too much personal, not enough politics "

" An exhausting and thorough analysis of one of America's greatest and defining presidents. Also noted is his reprehensible attitude towards Native Americans and perception of slavery, both products of his cultural upbringing. "

" Being a great fan of Old Hickory, i was really disappointed in this book . It spent far too much time exploring the political intrigues of his administration to the neglect of his many accomplishments which shaped this country. "

" Really enjoyed this one. Andrew Jackson is a fascinating character - the quintessential American self-made man with amazing qualities and damnable flaws. "

" Concentrated too much on the soap opera aspect of his presidency. "

" I just started reading this Andrew Jackson biography the other day, and it's very good. I like Meacham's writing style--and Jackson himself seems to be an charming and rakish figure, as portrayed by Meacham, who will be fun to read about. I'm at about page 35 at this point. "

" Seems like American History skips over this period quickly. But if Lincoln liked Jackson, I think I will. "

" It was a good book. I really didn't know much about Jackson prior to reading this book other than 'you either love him or hate him'. A very complex man indeed. "