We start with the creation of a Protestant hegemony and trace its development through the Civil War. We continue to examine the fragmentation of the religious landscape in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as a result of both pluralistic forces (e.g., immigration) and internal divisions among Protestants (e.g., the Modernist controversy). We conclude with the emergence of the postwar consensus surrounding civil religion. Class lectures places an emphasis on mainstream religion, but students are encouraged to explore “non-mainstream” religious issues in their papers.
This syllabus was created for the Young Scholars in American Religion program.
Judith HunterAuthor
State University of New York at GeneseoInstitution
Public College or University Institution Type
Syllabus Resource Type
Undergraduate Course Class Type
1996 Date Published
Religious Studies, History Discipline
General Comparative Traditions, Other Christianities, Protestant Religous Tradition
Immigration/Refugees, Nationalism/War/Civil Religion Topics