Parade of Faiths: Immigration and American Religion

by Jenna Weissman Joselit

Overview

Since the seventeenth century, millions of people from every continent have settled in America. Seeking a better life for themselves and their children, they braved deprivations, studied an unfamiliar language, adapted to a different way of life, and battled prejudices and hostility. Most of them held on to their faith as well, re-establishing churches and meeting-houses, synagogues and mosques, temples and cathedrals, and electing priests, rabbis, imams, and other spiritual leaders from among their number. Immigration irreversibly altered the face of the new republic, and it still moulds the political and spiritual fabric of the nation even to this day. Joselit surveys the history of immigration--which is actually the history of this country--and its effect on both political and religious issues through the centuries. The book explores the immigrant experience through case studies representative of all major newcomers' groups. The vividly rendered stories of courage and perseverance will alternately inspire and horrify.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199887231
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/03/2007
Series:	Religion in American Life
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

Table of Contents

Preface     vii
The Free Air of the New World: The Protestant Immigrant Experience     1
The Land of Sanctuary: The Catholic Immigrant Experience     26
In the Promised Land: The Jewish Immigrant Experience     53
In the Land of the Flowery Flag: Immigrants of the Late Twentieth Century     77
The Legacy of Immigration     97
Chronology     102
Further Reading     106
Index     113

Editorial Reviews

"This work serves as an important introductory volume, one that offers a glimpse into a particular and important part of the American religious past, while simultaneously giving students a prescriptive nudge toward a future of pluralism and tolerance." —Religion

From the Publisher