Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land: A History of Church and State in America

Rating:
Summary: A great introduction
Review: This is a great introduction to Church and State relations from the early colonial period to today, touching on the early theocracies of New England, the post-revolutionary period that introduced the concept of church/state separation, and the inconsistent Supreme Court decisions made to uphold this ideal.

Of particular interest is the rather brutal history of the first colonies as they executed people for being the wrong type of Christian, the founding of Maryland as a refuge for Catholics and the founding of Rhode Island as a provider of true religious freedom before the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ever drafted.

This is great as introductory reading, but is in no way comprehensive or authoritative. A good bibliography points the way to further, more in-depth study of the subject.