The Routledge Historical Atlas of Religion in America (Routledge Atlases of American History) [Paperback]

Brett E. Carroll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0415921376 | ISBN-13: 978-0415921374 | Edition: 1

Charting the history and geographic development of the major American religions, this atlas displays in detail the intimate relationship between American religion and the events that formed the nation. These maps explore a wide range of American creeds, encompassing such diverse groups as the English Puritan settlers, the Catholic immigrants of the 19th and 20th-centuries, and the African American Southern Baptist movement.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[A] useful research tool and outstanding teaching resource...an excellent contribution, highly recommended for libraries and courses in US religion. -- Religious Studies Review
This historical atlas provides an introductory overview of religion in the United States. This interesting approach to exploring religion's impact on U.S. history will be useful in the religion and history collections of academic libraries. By visually defining the role immigration has played on religious U.S. history, researchers will be better able to understand the cultural impact of living in such a diverse society. -- ARBA 2000
. . . an excelent reference book on America's rich religious history. -- Christian Science Monitor
an excelent reference book on America's rich religious history. -- Christian Science Moniter
This interesting approach to exploring religion's impact on U.S. history will be useful ion the religio and history collections of academic libraries. -- American Reference Books Annual
an excellent reference book on America's rich religious history. -- Christian Science Monitor
...another excellent volume in the 'Routledge Atlases of American History' series...The atlas intends to reflect the diversity of religions and the state of research. It includes a chronology and an excellent list of further readings. Highly recommended for every library. -- Choice
This interesting approach to exploring religion's impact on U.S. history will be useful in the religion and history collections of academic libraries. -- American Reference Books Annual
An excellent reference book on America's rich religious history. -- Christian Science Monitor
Carroll offers another excellent volume in the 'Routledge Atlases of American History' series. His small but extrememly important publication provides a succinct, current atlas with the most up-to-date commentary...Highly recommended for every library. -- Choice
Carroll offers another excellent volume in the 'Routledge Atlases of American History' series. His small but extrememly important publication provides a succinct, current atlas with the most up-to-date commentary... Highly recommended for every library. -- Choice
Caroll offers another excellent volume in the Routledge Atlases of American History series. His small but extremely important publication provides a succint, current atlas with the most up-to-date commentary. -- Choice, October 2001
Carroll offers another excellent volume in the 'Routledge Atlases of American History' series. His small but extremely important publication provides a succinct, current atlas with the most up-to-date commentary... Highly recommended for every library. -- Choice
...a successful popular summary told with zest and authority...strengthened by well designed cartography...this book deserves a wide market in both institutional and home libraries. -- Church History March 2002
This useful research tool and outstanding teaching resource offers more than fifty well-conceived multicolored maps, beginning with sections on pre-Columbian America and European conquest and continuing to the present...In general this is an excellent contribution, highly recommended for libraries and courses in US religion. -- Religious Studies Review January 2002

About the Author

Bret Carroll is the author of Spiritualism in Antebellum America. He is Assistant Professor of History at California State University, Stanislaus.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (December 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415921376
• ISBN-13: 978-0415921374
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Comprehensive, July 1, 2002

By 

ONG EU JIN (KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Routledge Historical Atlas of Religion in America (Routledge Atlases of American History) (Paperback)

This atlas is very comprehensive and contains colour maps showing the religious composition of the various regions of the United States from the pre-colonial days down to the present.

The atlas is also very useful for those who are interested in the emigration of the various ethnic groups to America as religious affiliation is closely tied to ethnicity and country/area of origin (especially in the colonial period to the 1800s).

It can be observed from these maps that different ethnic groups arrived during different periods and that their settlement were concentrated in specific regions.

For the period before independence (ie. 1776), there are maps showing the emigration of the Puritans/Congregationalists from the counties of Eastern England to New England, the Anglicans to Virginia and other Southern states along the Atlantic coast, Northern English and Welsh Quakers to Pennsylvania, Scotch-Irish Presbyterians to the Middles colonies and thereafter, onwards to the backcountry. There were also the Dutch Reformed (and some French Huguenot) in New York who settled there when that state belonged to Holland, and the Lutherans, Reformed and Mennonites who emigrated from Germany to the Middle colonies. Meanwhile, Louisiana was mainly Catholic due to French and some Spanish settlers.

A phenomenon which I found interesting was the transformation of denominational affiliation in the Southern states from Anglicanism and Presbyterianism to Baptist (and Methodist)and later, the emergence of Unitarians and Universalist among the Yankees in New England. All these showed regional trends.

This religious affiliation can be traced as migrants moved Westwards from the original colonies. Hence, the Yankees brought with them Congregationalism to the Midwest whilst Texas, Arkansas etc. had large Baptist and Methodist groups due to settlers from other Southern states.

In the 1800s, one can see how America was transformed from an almost exclusively Protestant Anglo-Saxon/Western European civilisation with the immigration of Catholics from Ireland, Germany and continental Europe. Orthodox imigrants form Eastern Europe in the late 1800s to early 1900s added even greater to the diversity.

And of course, in the late 20th century, America became a microcosm of the world with immigrants from Asia, Africa etc. [with large numbers of Buddhists (of various sects), Hindus, Bahais, Sikhs and Muslims (who enjoyed a phenomenal growth in part due to the large-scale conversions among African-Americans)].

This atlas also has maps showing the religious transformation in the African-American community i.e. from having their own Methodist and Baptist denominations to the formation of Black Hebrew organisations and the Nation of Islam and quasi-Muslim sects (such as Moorish Science).

The last few maps showed that despite the change in ethnic composition over the years, the various regions are still unique in their concentration of various denominations.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provides a focus on the history and geographic development, April 28, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Routledge Historical Atlas of Religion in America (Routledge Atlases of American History) (Paperback)

Brett Carroll's Historical Atlas of Religion in America provides a focus on the history and geographic development of American religions, providing maps and visual details to bring alive the connections between American political and religious history. From parts played by religious groups of Europe to the development of sects in the country, this provided a well-rounded survey.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful illustrations but poor editing, November 24, 2008

By 

Matthew Hisrich - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Routledge Historical Atlas of Religion in America (Routledge Atlases of American History) (Paperback)

The graphics in this text provide a useful visual supplement to standard books on U.S. religious history. Unfortunately, the text is filled with distracting errors - misspellings, incomplete sentences that end abruptly, and times where it seems the text was patched together without checking to make sure the result made any sense. A revised version is definitely called for, but until then this still remains a worthwhile purchase for its combination of helpful content and low cost.