A Documentary History of Religion in America

Up-to-date one-volume edition of a standard text. For decades students and scholars have turned to the two-volume Documentary History of Religion in America for access to the most significant primary sources relating to American religious history from the 16th century to the present. This 4th edition-published in a single volume for the first time-has been updated and condensed, allowing instructors to more easily cover the material in a single semester. With more than 100 illustrations and a rich array of primary documents ranging from the letters and accounts of early colonists to tweets and transcripts from the 2016 presidential election, this volume remains an essential text for readers who want to encounter firsthand the astonishing scope of religious belief and practice in American history.

Reviews of A Documentary History of Religion in America

— Choice"A richly variegated selection of short documents illustrative of the history of religion in America. . . . The best sourcebook available to contemporary students and general readers."– Religious Studies Review"A treasure chest containing varied essentials of our country's past."– Library Journal"Covers the entire spectrum of the American religious experience. . . . The short chapter introductions and bibliographic essays are uniformly excellent."– George M. MarsdenUniversity of Notre Dame"A classic is now even better. One could hardly imagine a combination better suited than Mark Noll and Heath Carter to update Edwin Gaustad's much admired collection. Noll brings his unsurpassed knowledge of the field and Carter adds perspectives that are engaging a younger generation of historians. Many of the new additions are fascinating reading just in themselves. Teachers of American religious history will find this text ideally suited to their needs."– Kate BowlerDuke Divinity School"This updated collection of primary documents has been expertly pulled into a single volume to give a new generation of students access to a wide range of prominent religious voices. Beautifully narrated and carefully curated, these readings are thoughtfully chosen to showcase fundamental debates about the character of American religion."– John FeaMessiah College"Edwin Gaustad's Documentary History of Religion in America has long been the gold standard for teachers who want to bring primary sources into their American religious history classrooms. In this new edition, Noll and Carter have somehow managed to improve upon a classic!"– Kathryn Gin LumStanford University"Heath Carter has given scholars and students of American religion a gift. He has consolidated Gaustad and Noll's classic into an accessible single-volume resource, while expanding the diversity of perspectives represented within. Expertly framed and clearly contextualized, this will be an indispensable volume for years to come."