Plot Synopsis

GOD IN AMERICA is a six-hour documentary that explores the historical role of religion in the public life of the United States. Using documentary footage, historical dramatization and interviews with religious historians, this series examines the potent and complex interaction between religion and democracy, the origins of the American concept of religious liberty, and the controversial evolution of that ideal in the nation's courts and political arena. It also considers the role religious ideas and institutions have played in social reform movements from abolition to civil rights, examining the impact of religious faith on conflicts from the American Revolution to the Cold War, and how guarantees of religious freedom created a competitive American religious marketplace. Finally, the series highlights the intersection of political struggle and spiritual experience in the lives of key American historical figures. GOD IN AMERICA is an AMERICAN EXPERIENCE/FRONTLINE co-production.