Abstract
“You can understand neither America’s past nor its present without comprehending the religious origins of the dreams that have animated
our spirit.” You might think such a statement could be made about many countries, that America is not unique in this respect. It is true that
religion has played a role in the governments and the lives of many peoples. However, America is unique in the extent to which religious goals motivated her founding and formed her early spirit. You may say, as many have that, even if once that were true, like most modern nations America today is more than secular. But the vestiges of religion are still around us all as Americans, and these residual forces affect or confuse us precisely because their religious origin is often forgotten. The drive of religion has been submerged into our national unconscious.