Religion and Politics in the United States

Abstract

Since America is the nation which controls the world, and much of its foreign policy is based on the interference in other countries’ systems; specially the Arab world, and seeks to spread secularism by means of separating religion from politics, thus, it is desirable to know more about this nation, mainly the relation between its religion and politics. This research paper aims at examining the relationship between religion and politics in the United States throughout history and until nowadays, chiefly because religion has always played a major part in American politics. It also seeks to check the reasons behind the founders’ desire to separate church from state, the need for freedom of conscience, and how those relations have changed over time. Besides, it tries to tackle the major religious groups in the twenty and twenty-first century alongside the major political parties and their alliances. To fulfill this task, a historical and descriptive approach has been followed; it is utilized in order to check the history and extract the needed information and events.