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American Religious History: Select Religious Groups

An overview of resources available on American religious history at Yale Library.

Catholicism

American Catholic: The Politics of Faith During the Cold War (Online) by D. G. Hart Places the rise of the United States' political conservatism in the context of ferment within the Roman Catholic Church.
Anti-Catholicism in America, 1620-1860 by Maura Jane Farrelly Looks at the role that anti-Catholicism played in defining and sustaining some of the core values of American identity.
Called to Serve: A History of Nuns in America (Online) by Margaret M. McGuinness An overview of the history of Catholic women religious in American life, from the colonial period to the present.
In Rome We Trust: The Rise of Catholics in American Political Life (Online) by Manlio Graziano Examines the relationship between the United States and the Catholic Church.

Judaism

American Judaism: A History (Online) by Jonathan D. Sarna A systematic, comprehensive, and coherent history of Judaism in America.
The New American Judaism: How Jews Practice Their Religion Today (Online) by Jack Wertheimer Discusses how Jews of various orientations practice their religion in this radically altered landscape in the United States.
The Synagogue in America (Online) by Marc Lee Raphael A short history of Jewish synagogues in the United States, illuminating its changing role within the American Jewish community over the course of three centuries.

Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses: A New Introduction by George D. Chryssides Introduces Jehovah's Witnesses without assuming prior knowledge of the Watch Tower organization.
Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses by M. James Penton An overview of the JW movement. Focuses on the movement from a historical, doctrinal, and sociological viewpoint.

Indigenous Religion

The Gods of Indian Country (Online) by Jennifer Graber Focuses on Kiowa Indians during Anglo-Americans's hundred-year effort to acquire, explore, and seize their homeland.
The Indian Great Awakening (Online) by Linford D. Fisher Tells the story of American Indians' attempts to wrestle with the ongoing realities of colonialism between the 1670s and 1820.
We Have a Religion: The 1920s Pueblo Indian Dance Controversy and American Religious Freedom (Online) by Tisa Wenger Shows that cultural notions about what constitutes "religion" are crucial to public debates over religious freedom. In the 1920s, Pueblo Indian leaders in New Mexico and a sympathetic coalition of non-Indian reformers successfully challenged government and missionary attempts to suppress Indian dances by convincing a skeptical public that these ceremonies counted as religion.

Mormonism

Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet (Online) by John G. Turner The most comprehensive biography of Brigham Young.
Joseph Smith for President: The Prophet, the Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious Freedom (Online) by Spencer W. McBride Tells the story of Joseph Smith's quixotic run for the White House and shows how his calls for religious freedom helped to shape the American political system we know today.
Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier by Benjamin E. Park Excavates the brief, tragic life of a lost Mormon city, demonstrating that the Mormons are essential to understanding American history writ large.
The Mormon Jesus by John G. Turner Argues that the tension between Mormonism's distinctive claims and the church's desire to be accepted as Christian continues to shape Mormon identity and attract new members to the church.

Evangelicalism

The American Evangelical Story by Douglas A. Sweeney Surveys the role American evangelicalism has had in the shaping of global evangelical history.
Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ: The Renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America (Online) by John G. Turner A history of Campus Crusade and its founder, Bill Bright, whose marketing and fund-raising acumen transformed the organization into an international evangelical empire.
Who Is an Evangelical? (Online) by Thomas S. Kidd A leading historian of evangelicalism offers a concise history of evangelicals and how they became who they are today.

Islam

American Christians and Islam (Online) by Thomas S. Kidd Shows that the conflicted views expressed by today's evangelicals on Islam have deep roots in American history.
Finding Mecca in America: How Islam is Becoming an American Religion (Online) by Mucahit Bilici Discusses the growing relationship between Islam and American culture as Muslims find a homeland in America.
Islam in America by Jane Smith Introduces the basic tenets of the Muslim faith, surveys the history of Islam in North America, and profiles the lifestyles, religious practices, and worldviews of Muslims in the United States.
Young Muslim America: Faith, Community, and Belonging by Muna Ali Explores the perspectives and identities of the American descendants of immigrant Muslims and converts to Islam.