America's True History of Religious Tolerance
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/americas-true-history-of-religious-tolerance-61312684/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=05052014&utm_content=historyreligioustolerance1 The idea that the United States has always been a bastion of religious freedom is reassuring—and utterly at odds with the historical record By Kenneth C. Davis SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2010 Wading into the controversy surrounding an Islamic center planned for a site near New York City ’s Ground Zero memorial this past August, President Obama declared: “This is America. And our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country and that they will not be treated differently by their government is essential to who we are.” In doing so, he paid homage to a vision that politicians and preachers have extolled for more than two centuries—that America historically has been a pla...