American Empire, American Faith: Conquest, Christianity, and the Shaping of a Nation

The subject of empire and empires is now one of the most active fields of historical writing, and that is especially true in the context of religion.Throughout history, religions and religious ideas have contributed powerfully to making successive empires, and in turn, the history of those empires is crucial for understanding the development of religious systems worldwide.In recent years, historians have become increasingly aware of the imperial character of American history, from colonial days through the modern era.Although Americans have often been reluctant to admit the fact of their empire, it has always been a reality, from initial contacts with Native peoples through later expansion into new territories in the Pacific and the Caribbean, and subsequently into the Cold War era.Throughout this imperial history, religion has played an essential role.Religious beliefs originally justified the colonial enterprises into the New World, while later generations claimed to trace the divine