Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an: Islam and the Founders

by Denise A. Spellberg

A fascinating new understanding of the birth of American religious freedom and of how Islam shaped the thinking of the Founding Fathers.

In 1765, eleven years before composing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson bought a Qur'an. His interest in Islam did not belie his personal disdain for the faith, a sentiment then rampant among his Protestant contemporaries. But unlike most of them, by 1776 Jefferson could imagine Muslims as future citizens of his new country. In this original and illuminating book, Denise A. Spellberg reveals a little known but crucial dimension of the birth of American religious freedom, a drama in which Islam played a surprising role. She recounts how a handful of the Founders, Jefferson foremost, drew upon Enlightenment ideas about the toleration of Muslims--then deemed the ultimate outsiders in Western society--to fashion from what had been a purely speculative debate a practical foundation for governance in America. In this way, Muslims, who were not even known to exist in the colonies, became the imaginary outer limit for an unprecedented, uniquely American religious pluralism that would also encompass the actual despised minorities of Jews and Catholics. The rancorous public dispute concerning the inclusion of Muslims, for which principle Jefferson's political foes would vilify him to the end of his life, thus became decisive in the Founders' ultimate judgment not to establish a Protestant nation, as they might well have done. Their radical ideal is being tested to this day, as popular suspicions about Islam persist and Muslim citizens number in the millions. 

Genres: History, Islam, Nonfiction, Religion, American History, Politics, Philosophy

393 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Denise A. Spellberg (born c. 1958) is an American scholar of Islamic history. She is an associate professor of history and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Spellberg holds a BA from Smith College (1980) and a PhD (1989) from Columbia University.

Reviews

[M. Azhaari Shah Sulaiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compelling book about the history of religious tolerance in the early United States.
this book overall paints the Muslims in a positive light, which is good. I learnt that the demonizing of islam has been rooted so deeply in the minds of European and American that it's so common to see plays which portrays false and misleading image of Islam. But few stood up to challenge the misleading portrayal of islam, one being Thomas Jefferson, one of the founder of America.

[Joel Trono-Doerksen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the best books of the year. So much research has gone into this book by this excellent scholar; the notes are filled with great references and so many other books to read. Although some parts can be a bit repetitive (especially about the different people debating about imagined Muslim civil rights) throughout the author kept me interested and as I was reading it I would look up at a page and realize I was 10 more pages ahead than I thought. The most interesting fact I learned was not about Jefferson at all but about the interaction between a Native American delegation in Washington and the Tunisian ambassador. After first calling the Natives "vile Heriticks" later on he realizes that union of their beliefs and calls them brothers, even going as far as to say they are the descendants of Arabs from Yemen. The epilogue was also awesome, describing the discrimination Muslims face in contemporary America. The author made her argument very clear and argued it exceedingly well. Would recommend for anyone looking into early American, North African or intellectual history and for any non academics that want to know about the roots of Muslim civil rights in America.

[Roger DeBlanck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite his personal dislike of Islam, Thomas Jefferson worked tirelessly to protect the rights of Muslims and other non-Protestants to practice their respective faiths. His fight for religious equality took place against the widespread prejudice existing among Protestants for any faith other than their own. They deemed Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism as imposture religions. As Jefferson’s understanding of the Qu’ran deepened, he saw the value in Islam’s tenets, particularly its recognition of Jews and Christians as people of divine revelation. In fact, Islam honors the prophets of the Old and New Testaments, and Islam does not deny any group the right to worship in their own way. One of Islam’s core teachings proclaims that there is no compulsion in religion, so it is Islam’s toleration for the beliefs of others that influenced Jefferson’s theories on government. Spellberg explores how Islam’s teachings shaped Jefferson’s vision for absolute religious freedom and civil rights for all groups. She also expounds upon how his study of Islam played an instrumental role in his ability to carry out diplomatic negotiations with the Muslim nations of the Barbary pirates during his stint as secretary of state and during his presidency.

Jefferson’s defense of religious liberty made him a target of criticism, and accusations mounted that he was a Muslim. For Jefferson, the hypocrisy of these allegations made by Christians merely proved their intolerance for others, and it proved their intransigence towards accepting the fact that matters of conscience needed to be separated from the role of government. As a scholar of history and philosophy, he knew that trying to establish a nation under the banner of the Christian faith would result in the persecution of anyone unable to embrace Christianity as his or her source of salvation. Jefferson also knew that requiring citizens to submit to a specific faith made no sense in order for them to receive protection as citizens under the law. Government existed to protect the rights of one’s conscience, and religion should play no role in an individual’s ability to contribute fully in the civil and political process of the state.

Spellberg provides fascinating insight into Jefferson’s lifelong fight to assure liberty and protection under the law for all religions. Her examination of Jefferson’s writings is impressive, and her research makes convincing assessments of Islam’s impact on his thinking and that of the founding fathers as they created the Constitution. The density of Spellberg’s study can make for slow reading, and the book has an element of repetition in its philosophical discussions, which amount to the same truth in a number of chapters. She also chooses to move back and forth with chronology, making it somewhat of a challenge to put together a timeline of events. Nonetheless, Thomas Jefferson’s Qu’ran is an important work of historical investigation. It credits Islam for the influence it had on Jefferson’s approach to diplomacy and his crusade to preserve civil rights and religious freedom for all Americans.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Martin Luther was more Muslim than Lutheran? The Constitution was written with the Muslim in mind first, then the Protestants and Catholics...even though there were no Muslim's in America at the time??? What the what?? Well Ms. Spellberg sounds like a modern day Historical Revisionist! Try reading "Thomas Jefferson and the Barbery Pirates" by Kilmeade to get the real story.

[Mai Alsharif مي الشريف · Rating 5 out of 5]

أحببت هذا الكتاب .. يحمل الكثثير من المعلومات التي وصلت لي صورة الحياة و انسجام الأديان في الفترة الأولى من بناء الدولة الأمريكية بقيادة الأباء المؤسسين.

[Sascha Benjamin Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is both fascinating and necessary, giving our present day twin obsessions with misinformation about Islam, and mythologizing the founders of the nation an opportunity to be aired in tandem. what Spellberg has done here is provide an engaging and enlightening context for a simple but profound and overlooked truth: Islam is no stranger to the US, and has been post of our dialogs on policy and culture almost since before the founding of the nation.

For anyone who has an interest in Jefferson, in the relationship between the United States and the middle East, and in understanding how Islam and american faith have been hand in hand helping to guide the growth of this nation for centuries, this is a book to read.

[Arsalan Chishty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I get the lower ratings. The book goes out of its way to clear up misconceptions about technical Islamic laws and rules which make people think it’s pro sharia. It’s really not, it calls out the BS wherever it finds it and if the author accidentally ends up defending Islam it’s not out of a fondness to the religion but to a fondness of factual accuracy. And if your baying for anti Muslim /Islamic language is such that you can’t help but be mad at any correction of that, maybe the problem is with you.

[Antony · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2007, Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, swore in on Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an. This book looks at the discussion about Islam in early America (which makes one realise how little has changed), and what Jefferson made of it. The book needs to be far more streamlined (esp the arcane details of debate by minor figures), but documents quite an important test case in Jefferson's thoughts about the new republic and the place of faith communities.

[Khalid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great piece of research. Authors views of Islam is fair, unlike many others. A surprising discovery of Muslim world relations with founders of modern USA.

[Said · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still relevant after 8+ years and will probably be relevant for many more years

Denise Spellberg did an amazing job of covering some very important figures that played an important role at the birth of the US, the roots of prejudgments towards Islam, and the religious tolerance in Western society.

I'm taking a star off only because the book got way too boring at certain parts.

An insightful and fun read for anyone who has some interest in US history and the roots of some of our modern issues in our societies w/r/t religious freedoms and tolerance.

[Hidayatullah Ibrahim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku tentang perjalanan pendiri Amerika Serikat dalam memandang Alquran sebagai falsafah pegangan demokrasi bernegara di Amerika serikat

[yahia allari · Rating 5 out of 5]

يكفي أن تقرأ وصف بسيط عن الكتاب في هذه الصفحة وستعلم حينها أنه كتاب شيق لمعرفة تاريخ الإسلام وتأثيره في ثقافة تلك الحقبة واهتمام كبار الشخصيات المؤثرة في السياسة والدين بالقرآن وما يحتويه ومفهوم الدين الإسلامي.
انصح بقراءته ....!!

[Peter Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

1/25/2014

“Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders,” by Denise A. Spellberg (Knopf, 2013). This is an important book. Spellberg traces the development of the concept of religious freedom---freedom of conscience---in England and then in North America. It was part of the Enlightenment movement away from unthinking worship of Jesus Christ, acknowledgment of the disastrous effects of religious warfare, etc. Englishmen, and western Europeans generally, knew almost nothing about Islam except that it existed and there had been wars with Muslim nations. Spellberg delves deep into primary documents by British thinkers examining the idea of the social compact, of how men should live together, of what freedom meant. In many cases, writers spoke of freedom of conscience for “Jews, Turks, Mahometans [among many other spellings] Gentoo [Hindus].” Jefferson was not the only American to own a Qur’an (Spellberg declares this the correct spelling), but he may actually have bought two copies (one of them may have been burnt when his first library burned. He read it carefully, along with various editions of the Old and New Testaments, Locke, Voltaire, etc. Muslims were considered figures of fear and menace, but Jefferson, Madison and others who felt the same way argued that, even if it seemed absurd, on principle even Muslims, Jews and Catholics should have equal rights with Protestants. There is so much in this book I am stil digesting. She spend a good deal of time with the Treaty of Tripoli which included the statement that the US government is not founded on the Christian religion. She points out that at no point during its early history did the US consider Muslim states enemies because of their religion. The wars with the Barbary pirates were about trade and freedom of the seas, never about religion. She covers the battles to disestablish specific churches (Episcopalian in the south, Congregational in New England), the argument that no one should be forced to pay taxes to support a religion he did not follow. That the Christianity which was the context of the US was very specifically Protestant, and not even all Protestants. Catholics were particularly feared. But Jefferson, Madison, a powerful preacher named John Leland, argued continuously for complete freedom and equality among all religions or no religions in the United States civil government. Was the United States founded as a Christian nation? The vast majority of its population was Christian, it was the atmosphere they breathed, but the Constitution, the Declaration, the government were definitely not created as Christian. The possibility that non-Protestants could hold office was always there, if considered absurd. This is a book of popular history by a deep historian: her sources are widespread, mostly primary, but the writing is clear and easily followed. Her final chapter on conditions today is strong: she speaks of a specific anti-Muslim, anti-Sharia movement, and the widespread attacks on Muslims physically and in speech. She says that fear and hatred is not just baseless, but historically inaccurate. She points out that there is no requirement that any government official swear on a bible or other holy book—they are only required to swear or affirm they will uphold the Constitution. Everything else is additional.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denise_S...

[Fred Kohn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remained confused as to why this book was titled Thomas Jefferson's Qur'an until the last chapter of the book. Although Jefferson owned a Qur'an, there seems to be no evidence at all that he ever read it. Sure, he probably did, but what use he made of it remains pure conjecture. Even worse, it seems clear to me that he never read its excellent (for the time) 200 page introduction, as the author makes clear that he seems totally unaware of the facts contained therein. Most of the book is concerned with the developing history from total lack of toleration of Muslims in Europe and North America into a form of toleration via the U.S. Constitution. But because this toleration was all theoretical (nobody knowing of any actual Muslims in either place), it was all rather dry reading. A substantial part of the book dealt with Adams' and Jefferson's dealings with the piracy of the North African (Barbary) states, and for me, this kept the book from being a complete snorer. I especially enjoyed the description of the conversation between the Tunisian ambassador and President Jefferson about whether the American Indians are descended from Adam ("It's a complicated question," replies Jefferson.) The very last chapter was devoted to our current time, and the prejudices Muslims face today. This chapter opened and often referred back to Keith Ellison's oath which he took upon Jefferson's Qur'an, a fact I was unaware of, and which finally clarified the title.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Now, as in the eighteenth century, American Muslims symbolize the universality of religious inclusion and equality promised at the nation’s founding by Jefferson, Washington, Madison, Leland, and others, an ideal still in the course of being fully realized more than two centuries later. Any attack upon the rights of Muslim citizens should be recognized for what it remains: an assault upon the universal ideal of civil rights promised all believers at the country’s founding. No group, based on religion, should be excluded from these rights. To do so now would betray both our hard-won national legacy and the genius of those who conceived it."

All in all, a lively and engaging portrayal of the debates over religion and citizenship in the founding period of US history, if the courageous few who argued that the rights and liberties in the Constitution pertain to those who practice any -- or no -- faith, and of the echoes of these debates in post-9/11 America. Meanders a bit at times, but still well worth the read.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A *very* comprehensive look at virtually everything the Founders wrote and said about Islam and religious tolerance. It shows the complex - and often contradictory - attitudes they and other Americans have had towards Islam during the past four centuries.

Sometimes Spellberg gets bogged down into too much fact-listing to tell a clear story. But I do think it was right for the book to attempt to include everything. I'm naturally suspicious of writers who are selective with facts when it comes to topics as potentially inflammatory as this one is.

[Mudasser Iqbal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today, Islam is still seen as a stranger but clearly has been in the US for less than three centuries. I knew that Jefferson possessed a noble Qur'an, but had no knowledge of him actually having read it. I found it interesting that how Joe Leland never read the noble Qur'an, but was an advocate to supporting the freedom of Muslim slaves, opposite to Jefferson. It's a good book for those wanting to learn about 18th century views on Muslims and compare to the views portrayed by the mass media

[The Advocate]

"From early philosophers promoting religious toleration to West African Muslim slaves continuing to practice in the U.S. (one, a Senegalese, wrote his autobiography in Arabic in 1831), “Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an” challenges easy assumptions."
Read more here.

[Mike Wigal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's an interesting twist in American history: Barack Obama was not the first US president to be accused of being a secret Muslim. Thomas Jefferson beat him out by over 200 years. This book is an excellent rebuttal to the agenda driven morons who claim America was established as a Christian nation.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look of the Treaty of Tripoli, 1797. "The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion..." Passed by the US Senate. No votes against it registered. This book was an excellent account of Thomas Jefferson's thoughts about the separation of Church and State and equality for all people to follow their faith without State interference.

[Erdoan A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best written books on history of US religious pluralism, and can't-put-it-down book that everyone, especially community leaders in the US, should read it! Very highly recommended!

[سلمان · Rating 3 out of 5]

المعلومات في الكتاب جيدة وإن كانت الكاتبة تكررها كثيراً، الكتاب يتحدث عن الاسلام في نظر الأباء المؤسسين وكيف تأثروا بالنظرة الأوربية في ثنائيتها! أظن أنني انسجمت مع الطرح وانهيته في ساعات .

[Allan Bevere · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders," by Denise A. Spellberg, provides an engaging and accessible guide to understanding how Americans of the early Republic thought about Islam, especially in the case of Thomas Jefferson’s interest in the Qur’an and his larger vision for religious freedom. In her meticulous and thoughtful research, Spellberg shows that Jefferson-the architect of the legal principle of religious liberty which extends civil rights to adherents of any religion-had a larger and sometimes sympathetic vision of Islam for his own time: as a faith capable of having its teachings discussed in a manner equal to Christianity.

The book explores Jefferson’s purchase of George Sale’s 1734 English interpretation of the Qur’an, which he read in order to shape his ideas about religious toleration. Spellberg shades Jefferson’s complex attitudes, granting due to him as an Enlightenment figure while addressing his contradictions and partiality. Jefferson's attitude toward Islam was mostly negative, but he did not believe that should rule out Muslims as American citizens nor should they be excluded from political office. Such opinions branded Jefferson as an infidel and a Muslim by his political opponents.

Spellberg locates Jefferson’s involvement with Islam in the context of early American religious diversity. She emphasizes that despite this culture’s association with Protestantism, and the long-term effects of Enlightenment deism on it, a wide-sweeping view of religious liberty was integral to Enlightenment thought and became part of the United States foundational principles articulated in the Constitution: [The Founders] "raised its understanding beyond mere non-coercion or freedom from state control. They spoke not only in terms of the rights of Protestants but also Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and infidels.” This inclusive vision was revolutionary, and became the foundation for America’s religious freedom.

The book also considers the obstacles and inconsistencies involved in Jefferson’s ideas. He was a proponent of religious freedom, even if his understanding often fell short because of the prejudices endemic to his era. Spellberg takes a hard look at these features in the figure of Jefferson, giving us neither a hero nor an outright villain, but someone very much made by his own time.

Spellnerg also devoted space to John Adams and Islam as, like Jefferson, they both confronted the problem of impressment of American seamen and ships from the "Barbary Coast" of northern Africa. Unlike Jefferson, Adams did not seek to understand Islam as deeply.

"Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an" is an engaging book that exposes the nuances of early American religious thought. Spellberg’s work provides useful analysis about how the Founding Fathers debated religious tolerance, and about how their ideas have reverberated in modern questions regarding religious freedom and pluralism.

It also highlights the unsavory attitudes of racism and religious prejudice present in the early centuries of the American colonies... attitudes still prevalent today.

[Sarmat Chowdhury · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a junior in high school taking IB History I HL (Spring 2010) , for my Internal Assessment (IA), I wanted to do a report on the influence that Islam had on the founding of the American Republic. My IA Advisor at the time, and another history teacher at the school discouraged me from doing so, arguing that even with Jefferson owning a Qur’an, the influence of Islam on the founding fathers and the Republic were minuscule at best.

This book, and the amazing historical research and evidence presented by Professor Spellberg dispel all of that notion. The book is a reminder of the unique nature of the founding of the American Republic - and that Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, played a role in the creation of the government and rule of law that we understand it today.

Professor Spellberg documents the Enlightenment thinkers and their influence on the founders coming from their contemporary peers in Europe, and the Islamaphobia that followed America and the colonies. She documents the dichotomy of the founders arguing and endorsing the right for hypothetical Turks/Mahmotens becoming citizens, while enslaving African Muslim slaves. She documents the libel and slander of reformist speakers being labeled as secret Muslims, paralleling the characterization of American Presidents Jefferson and Obama as Muslims to prevent them from seeking higher office - and showcasing how statesmen such as Washington, Adam, Madison, Paine, Jay, Hamilton and more encountered Islam in the larger debate of the rights and liberties of the American citizen.

Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an is the definitive book to discuss the unique nature of the American value for not just tolerance - but assurance of religious liberty. It also showcases that the Islamaphobia of today is not unique - but also a staple of the American Republic.

[ukuklele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pembacaan buku ini sempat tertunda cukup lama, kurang lebih karena terjemahannya serta konteks yang amerikasentris khususnya dalam hal kenegaraan. AS itu asing tetapi saya muak dengannya. Sejarahnya bikin saya ngilu. Stereotip warganya kurang baik (walau kenyataannya saya menemukan beberapa orang dari sana yang enak diajak mengobrol atau berbagi.) Medianya sangat gencar, bahkan sepertinya banyak produk yang saya konsumsi (berupa serial TV, bacaan, dan musik) berasal dari sana. Di samping itu, kenegaraan tidak pernah menjadi minat saya. Saya terpaksa menamatkan buku ini hanya karena enggak ingin menambah buku yang enggak tuntas dibaca.

Walau demikian, ada beberapa pembicaraan dalam buku ini yang menarik bagi saya. Misalnya tentang kisah budak Afrika yang sebagian di antaranya telah memeluk Islam serta mempertahankan keislamannya itu. Tetapi tidak disebutkan di sini tentang kemungkinan sebagian penduduk pribumi AS alias suku Indian yang sudah memeluk Islam sebelum kedatangan conquitador (atau semacam itu).

Selain itu, soal toleransi agama serta stigmatisasi agama masih relevan, selalu relevan, kayaknya. Isu heboh semacam muslim immigration ban dan Trump rupanya bukan barang baru di AS. Sedari dulu diskriminasi kental di sana, entahkah berdasarkan ras, agama, atau kebangsaan, dan tidak pernah benar-benar surut, hanya laten lalu memanas lagi.

Karena itu, saya heran dengan negara yang katanya pemuja kebebasan ini. Mereka merampas Amerika dari pribuminya dengan pertumpahan darah lalu ingin memiliki tanah itu sendiri, tidak membolehkan sesama pendatang--yang beda zaman, ras, agama, dan semacamnya--untuk ikut hidup di sana. Kalau mereka merasa berhak atas tanah yang dulunya mereka ambil paksa, maka mengapa pendatang baru tidak boleh merasa berhak juga?

[John Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denise Spellberg is Professor of History and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. This book is not about the physical copy of the Qur’an itself but rather about what that copy symbolized: the growing progressive thinking of the Founding Fathers, especially Jefferson, toward all religions and the importance of the separation between church and state. Jefferson and others had a complicated approach to Islam, filled with misconceptions, assumptions, and prejudices, even so far as being blind to the fact that a number of their own slaves from West Africa were most likely Muslim. Indeed, in Protestant Colonial/early national America the three most hated religions were Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism. But it was exactly the beginning intellectual touchstones with Islam — fueled by Whig/Enlightenment philosophy and symbolized by Jefferson’s copy of the Qur’an — that began changing their political thoughts: As the country grew and welcomed in more immigrants, Muslims, Catholics, Jews, and people of all faiths could and should be equal citizens with all requisite rights in the nascent nation, safe from being under the despotic thumb of an official state religion. For this progressive thinking Jefferson was maliciously accused and slandered in the 1800 election of actually being a Muslim. Sound familiar?

[الإسلام ميديا · Rating 5 out of 5]

لهذا الكتاب قيمة كبيرة ليس فقط في المكتبة الأمريكية ولكن في جميع مكتبات العالم . إنه كتاب لا تنحصر قيمته في إلقاء الضوء على موضوع تاريخي هام ، وإنما هو كتاب يتشابك موضوعه مع أهم القضايا المثارة في عالمنا المعاصر وهى قضية حوار الثقافات ومدى تقبل الأخر. إنه كتاب يقدم لنا تجربة مهمة جدا في ثقافة التعايش والانفتاح على الآخر. تجربة متميزة فى التعرف على الإسلام من الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية التي تقود الحضارة العالمية الآن . كتاب يلقى الضوء على تجربة شخصية كبيرة بحجم توماس جيفرسون الرئيس الثالث بعد جورج واشنطن وجون ادامز. توماس جيفرسون الذي لم يكن فقط واحدًا من أهم الآباء المؤسسين للولايات المتحدة الأمريكية ، ولكنه أكثر من ذلك هو الشخص الذي كتب إعلان الاستقلال . يقدم لنا الكتاب توماس جيفرسون الشخصية التي مثلت فكرة الانفتاح على الآخر منذ أن كان طالبًا في الجامعة عندما اشترى نسخة من ترجمة القرآن باللغة الإنجليزية بعد قراءة ما كتبه الفيلسوف الإنجليزي الكبير جون لوك ، أحد رواد التسامح الديني والانفتاح على الآخر في الفكر الأوروبي ،عن الحقوق المدنية في الإسلام . إنها معلومة مهمة جدا : توماس جفرسون الذي كتب وثيقة إعلان الاستقلال للولايات المتحدة الأمريكية قد قرأ ترجمة للقرآن . فهل تراه قد تأثر فيما كتب ببعض ما قرأ من آيات القرآن ؟

[Riatmi Ami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pada saat mengkonsep akan seperti apa negara baru yg akan dibentuk (USA), Thomas Jefferson memiliki pendapat yg hanya disetujui segelintir orang. Yaitu bahwa negara itu nanti akan memperlakukan sama semua orang tanpa membeda bedakan ras dan agamanya.

Di suratnya kpd John Locke dalam A Letter concerning Tolerance, dia menyebutkan : "Tak seorangpun dari kalangan Pagan, Muslim, ataupun Yahudi boleh dikucilkan dari hak-hak sipil persemakmuran karena agamanya." Meskipun pada saat itu Jefferson hanya mengetahui ada minoritas Katolik dan Yahudi, sedangkan muslim masih merupakan penduduk imaginer (Jefferson belum mengetahui keberadaan budak budak muslim di negaranya)

Ini jelas bukan ide yg membahagiakan bagi banyak org saat itu karena penduduk AS yang mayoritas protestan mewarisi kebencian terhadap muslim , dari Eropa .

Namun begitu, keuniversalan toleransi Jefferson berkurang karena ia, seperti orang - orang pada zaman nya, tidak bisa melihat melampaui ras . Ia tak bisa membayangkan budak budak Afrika yang diangkut ke Amerika akan mendapat hak penuh warga negara, karena budak adalah properti.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this book was quite possibly the most interesting book I have read this year, and is a top fifty ever, perhaps higher. I'm quite impressed by Jefferson's research on the Qur'an and its implications on American policy. Likewise the same to be said for John Adams and surprisingly a few evangelical ministers.

Religious liberty is a big deal to me and this book really made me think even more about it, especially in light of the lack of contact Americans felt they had previous to the nineteenth century.

The one big thing that stuck out to me is the lack of awareness by any founding fathers that perhaps their slaves were Muslim. Either totally out of touch or the slaves made sure that they did not know.

Well worth your time.

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I could think while reading this book is that I really wish it had been included in the Religion, Law, & Politics seminar that I just took. It's definitely dense, so I think going through it with a class would be beneficial, but more than that, it's really important that Spellberg traces the ways in which non Euro-American Protestantism affected the founding. I particularly appreciated the attention she gives to race as well as religion. Her final chapter considers the contemporary context of Islam in America (and religious freedom in general), which is insightful and something I think would have really added to the seminar.