God in America

2010•59m•6.0/10

Documentary

Ratings

🎬TMDb

6.0/10(2)

God in America explores the tumultuous 400-year history of the intersection of religion and public life in America, from the first European settlements to the 2008 presidential election. This series examines how religious dissidents helped shape the American concept of religious liberty and the controversial evolution of that ideal in the nation's courts and political arena; how religious freedom and waves of new immigrants and religious revivals fueled competition in the religious marketplace; how movements for social reform -- from abolition to civil rights -- galvanized men and women to put their faith into political action; and how religious faith influenced conflicts from the American Revolution to the Cold War.

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Production

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Language

Status

Ended

First Aired

October 11, 2010

Last Aired

October 13, 2010

Networks

PBS

Where to Watch

Region US · Lang EN

No providers available for this region.

Available in Your Library

Seasons & Episodes

Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.

Season

A New Adam

Air date: 2010-10-11

The origins of America’s unique religious landscape—how the New World challenged the faiths the first European settlers brought with them. A new message of spiritual rebirth swept through the colonies, kindling a rebellious spirit that fused with the political upheaval of the American Revolution.

A New Eden

Air date: 2010-10-11

The beginnings of America’s experiment in religious liberty, examining how the political alliance between evangelical Baptists and enlightenment figures such as Thomas Jefferson forged a new concept of religious freedom—first in Virginia and ultimately in the Bill of Rights.

A Nation Reborn

Air date: 2010-10-12

How religious belief shaped the origins of the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln’s actions during the conflict. As Northern abolitionists and Southern slaveholders clashed over the question of slavery, each side turned to the Bible to argue its cause, with each side declaring God was on its side.

A New Light

Air date: 2010-10-12

The intellectual and cultural conflicts between traditional religious beliefs and the forces of modernity, which reached a crescendo in the 1925 trial of John Scopes, a Tennessee teacher arrested for teaching evolution.

Soul of a Nation

Air date: 2010-10-13

A contradiction at the heart of the post-war era: while the Supreme Court embarked on decisions that required government actions to have a secular purpose, fresh religious energy surged through the nation, fueling the Cold War fight against “Godless Communism” and driving the civil rights movement which produced leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr.

Of God and Caesar

Air date: 2010-10-13

In the present day, exploring the political aspirations of the religious right, the dynamics of the contemporary religious marketplace, and the re-emergence of a religious voice in the Democratic Party.