Albert J. Menendez - Böcker

This enjoyable book illuminates the long-held traditions and rare occurances that have shaped Christmas at the White House over the course of its history. Albert Menendez poured through diaries, memoirs, letters, newspapers, and more to compile the stories chronicled here, which include a Christmas wedding and honeymoon for Woodrow Wilson, the first lighting of the National Christmas Tree by Calvin Coolidge, a surprise dinner for poor children hosted by Abraham Lincoln's son, and so much more.

This work concentrates on the longstanding and significant factors of regionalism and sectionalism in the voting for the U.S. chief executive. Even after the Civil War restored the nation's wholeness, the first postwar election showed the persistence of regional voting patterns. These patterns became even more pronounced in succeeding elections.For the 35 presidential elections from 1868 through 2004, a narrative describes how the regions, states, and, in some instances, counties responded to the issues and personalities. Coverage for each election includes an electoral vote table, a national vote map, and a table indicating where the parties received their highest level of support. Part II of the book is a series of charts showing which party carried each United States county in each election during this period.

The candidacy of John F. Kennedy provoked widespread discussion of issues relating to church and state and to the role of Catholics in American politics. This text is the inside story of that dramatic campaign and is the first scholarly examination based on actual voting returns. It includes a detailed analysis of the vote in every state, revealing that religion affected the outcome of the election far more than previously thought. Kennedy lost more votes than he gained due to his religious affiliation, but by crafting a strong coalition, he prevailed in one of the closest races in presidential history.

This is an important book for every citizen: every taxpayer, because powerful sectarian special interests and their political allies want all taxpayers to support these schools. Although a majority of Americans have repeatedly shown in referendum elections and opinion polls that they oppose tax support for non-public schools, fundamentalist leaders and their political lobbies are putting increasing pressure on Congress and state legislatures to compel taxpayers to support sectarian private schools through 'vouchers' or 'tuition tax credits', under the deceptive banner of 'school choice'. Albert J Menendez has carefully examined the most widely used history, English, and science textbooks in fundamentalist private schools. He documents the fact that these schools promote prejudice against people of other faiths, distort history, derogate our literary heritage, cast science in a bad light, and otherwise indoctrinate children with 'visions of reality' that are incompatible with public tax support. This timely and important study is the first of its kind and brings to public attention information available from no other source.

The United States has enjoyed a long and venerable tradition of separation of church and state. But how is this relationship handled in Canada with which we have considerable political, economic, and social ties? This book describes the main contours of how religion and government interact in Canada. While written from the perspective of an American separationist, it reflects the unique traditions that have developed a somewhat different style of church-state relationships in our neighbour to the north. Written to inform U.S. readers, it includes much data from a variety of sources that may not be widely known to many Canadians.Religion's impact on education, law, and politics is the primary focus of the study. Wherever possible, comparisons between the United States and Canadian experiences are discussed so readers can observe how two great democracies have approached the interaction between church and state. This overview will further understanding and increase knowledge on both sides of the border.

Who are the politically active evangelicals? Where do they live and how are they affecting American politics? Estimated at one-fourth of the electorate, evangelicals are gradually extending their control over the Republican party and pressing their conservative political views in Congress. If successful, their actions in federal, state, and local elections could have profound consequences for all Americans.In this breakthrough book, veteran political analyst Albert J. Menendez profiles contemporary evangelical groups, revealing the issues and social/political concerns that animate such diverse sects as Southern Baptists and Midwestern Lutherans, Dutch Reformed Christians and Mennonites, as well as evangelical subcultures within the Catholic and Jewish faiths. Despite their differences, all evangelicals share certain fundamental religious, cultural, and political values which could unite them in a major organized effort to change forever the national political landscape. Looking at why the Republican party seems most receptive to evangelicals, Menendez assesses the religious base of support for both major parties.Evangelicals at the Ballot Box is a thorough study of the growing power these groups wield when they step into the voting booth. It includes a detailed survey of recent election results, census data, religious membership surveys, public opinion polling data, a review of the scholarly literature of the past two decades, and more. Packed with fascinating facts and figures available in no other single source, this volume is sure to be an indispensable resource.

This outstanding collection of memorable quotations on religious freedom - the most comprehensive ever assembled - covers many centuries of thought and a wide array of sources. On every page, the reader will discover a wealth of thoughtful, wise, and impassioned statements by all manner of men and women on a subject that has moved the consciences of generations from the distant past to the present. Included are early church fathers, Enlightenment philosophers, popes, anticlerical European statesmen, journalists, famous writers, judges, twenty-six presidents of the United States, and many others. A special feature of this compilation is the inclusion of quotes from major judicial decisions, from 1872 to the present, that bear on religious liberty. Above all, these quotations show that an enormously wide spectrum of men and women of diverse religious, social, and political views have championed the principle of religious freedom.Covering an extraordinary array of topics - from abortion rights, charitable choice, and creationism to pluralism, religious persecution, and school prayer - teachers, scholars, clergy, legislators, writers, public speakers, and anyone with an interest in these and other vital issues will benefit from the powerful words in this volume.