Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
Download to your computer
Kindle Cloud Reader

Separation of Church and State

by
Philip Hamburger (Author)
› Visit Amazon's Philip Hamburger Page
Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
See search results for this author
Are you an author? Learn about Author Central
Philip Hamburger (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars 15 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0674013742
ISBN-10: 0674013743
Why is ISBN important?
ISBN
This bar-code number lets you verify that you're getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. The 13-digit and 10-digit formats both work.
Scan an ISBN with your phone
Use the Amazon App to scan ISBNs and compare prices.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Rent On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$10.54 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
Buy used On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$12.79 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
Buy new On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
$27.80 On clicking this link, a new layer will be open
More Buying Choices
30 New from $21.98 38 Used from $8.60
68 used & new from $8.60
See All Buying Options
Free Two-Day Shipping for College Students with Prime Student Free%20Two-Day%20Shipping%20for%20College%20Students%20with%20Amazon%20Student

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
"The Righteous Mind" by Jonathan Haidt
This subtle yet accessible book gives the key to understanding the miracle of human cooperation, as well as the curse of our eternal divisions and conflicts. Learn more | See related books
$27.80 FREE Shipping. Only 8 left in stock (more on the way). Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
click to open popover

Frequently Bought Together

  • Separation of Church and State
  • +
  • Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State (Critical America)
  • +
  • Free to Serve: Protecting the Religious Freedom of Faith-Based Organizations
Total price: $61.92
Buy the selected items together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.
Back
  1. Is Administrative Law Unlawful?
    Philip Hamburger
    4.6 out of 5 stars 28
    Hardcover
    $47.85 Prime
  2. Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State (Critical America)
    Daniel Dreisbach
    4.4 out of 5 stars 23
    Paperback
    $22.86 Prime
  3. Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom
    Ryan T. Anderson
    4.2 out of 5 stars 396
    Paperback
    $10.86 Prime
  4. Is Administrative Law Unlawful?
    Philip Hamburger
    4.6 out of 5 stars 28
    Paperback
    $26.78 Prime
  5. Free to Serve: Protecting the Religious Freedom of Faith-Based Organizations
    Stephen V. Monsma
    4.7 out of 5 stars 6
    Paperback
    $11.26 Prime
  6. Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty: Emerging Conflicts
    Douglas Laycock
    4.5 out of 5 stars 2
    Paperback
    $37.43 Prime
Next
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
The latest book club pick from Oprah
"The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead is a magnificent novel chronicling a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. See more

Product Details

  • Paperback: 528 pages
  • Publisher: Harvard University Press (March 30, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0674013743
  • ISBN-13: 978-0674013742
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.4 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #851,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsMost Outstanding Book on the Topic - MUST READ!!!
By Shawn Harding on March 22, 2004
Format: Hardcover
Philip Hamburger, John P. Wilson Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, has written a meticulously researched account of how the American concept of religious freedom was transformed into the concept of separation of church and state. His central thesis is that this development had very little to do with the constitution itself or even with the late 18th century concept of religious liberty, but was very much a result of fear of ecclesiastical authority and anti-Catholic, or at times anti-Christian prejudice. Hamburger claims, "the federal and state constitutional provisions designed to protect religious liberty have, ironically, come to be understood in terms of an idea that substantially reduces this freedom."
Hamburger begins by tracing the origins of religious freedom in America to the European Continental Anabaptists of the 16th century and the English Baptists of the 17th century who "made arguments about the freedom of conscience." He also discusses the importance of 17th century religious dissenters and Enlightenment philosophers - such as Locke and Milton - and how they "generalized these ideas into conceptions of religious freedom eventually employed by most American dissenters." Hamburger presents the reader with a firm basis in what exactly was meant by religious freedom in colonial and revolutionary America, its relation to the various amendments to state constitutions, and the ideological context for the introduction of the First Amendment to our federal Constitution. He is quite explicit that separation of church and state was not a part of any of these developments and that, on the contrary, separation was rather more of a stigma applied to antiestablishment advocates in order to discredit them.Read more ›
2 Comments 101 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
4.0 out of 5 starsA clear, concise, and well-researched history of the Establishment Clause
By John M. Balouziyeh on November 19, 2009
Format: Hardcover
Constitutional legal scholar Philip Hamburger, formerly a professor of law at the University of Chicago and currently professor of law at Columbia Law School, argues in "Separation of Church and State" that America's modern conception of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause has failed to make an adequate distinction between the establishment of religion, which the founders intended to prohibit, and the "separation of church and state," a later development that was almost never cited by eighteenth century Americans. Hamburger offers both academic and non-academic readers alike a thoroughly researched and engaging presentation of the history of the Establishment Clause and how it came to be misapplied to the detriment of religion in the American public square.

How did the nation depart from a Constitution that guaranteed religious liberty to erect a "wall of separation between church and state"? Hamburger traces the problem to Thomas Jefferson, who in 1802 in his Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association reflected on "that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should `make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.'" Jefferson's phrase would later be adopted by the Supreme Court. Justice Black, writing for the majority of the Supreme Court in Everson v. Board of Education of Ewing (1947), adopted Jefferson's separation of church and state and made it "the foundation of subsequent establishment clause jurisprudence." Five years later, Justice Douglas in Zorach v. Clauson (1952), affirmed Black's basic principle but expressed concern over the extent to which its implications could be taken.Read more ›
1 Comment 22 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsA Landmark Volume
By L.S. Smith on July 21, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This book is the most important contribution to the discussion of church and state in America during the last 100 years. The author "demythologizes" the subject. His most startling insight is the distinction he draws between "separation" and "disestablishment."

So significant is this work I would contend that the study of church and state should be distinguished as "pre-Hamburger" and "post-Hamburger."

It gives new meaning to the term "must read."
Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
5.0 out of 5 starsThe wall that bigotry built
By Joseph on August 30, 2011
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Separation of Church and State The author, Philip Hamburger, offers a well balanced presentation of how sixteen words of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States can be deliberately misconstrued for purposes that its writers never intended and how ten words written by Thomas Jefferson in a letter could become a substitute for those sixteen. Take the words themselves "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...". Now, put them next to "...thus building a wall of separation between Church and State". It is no less than amazing how this transformation could have happened. As the saying goes, "Throw enough mud against a wall, some will stick". Of course if there never was a wall, if one throws enough mud, it will make its own wall!

We are all children of our own culture. When we hear things repeated again and again by people we love and respect, we will seldom question their veracity. Ideas get passed on from generaton to generation. They may change, but they do so slowly and the change is seldom noticed until the idea is totally transformed. That is what happened to our understanding as Americans of this part of the First Amendment. Going back to the beginning, as Hamburger does, makes a huge difference in our understanding.

The book is great reading. Maybe it should be compulsory reading by all of our judges, especially those on the Supreme Court.
Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Very informative!

Published 10 months ago by Cynthia S.D. Kirk
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

as described

Published 15 months ago by DAC
5.0 out of 5 starsBook confirms much of what I have read in other ...

Book confirms much of what I have read in other sources. Bravo to Mr. Hamburger.

Published 17 months ago by Bill
2.0 out of 5 starsI recommend reading alongside notable critiques

There is no doubt that Professor Hamburger is a reputable scholar; however, his thesis in this particular book has received a number of notable critiques. Read more

Published on December 29, 2012 by Nathan C. Walker
2.0 out of 5 starsJust Sloppy About Masonry and Freedom

This is a book that is definitely worth reading, at the very least because of the almost ferocious research skills of the author on display. Read more

Published on September 28, 2010 by Peter P. Fuchs
1.0 out of 5 starsPropaganda Masquerading As Fact

In one of the latest books denouncing Separation of Church and State as a "myth", Philip Hamburger claims that Separation is "untethered to the Constitution", and that the founders... Read more

Published on January 3, 2010 by BF Hawkeye Pierce
3.0 out of 5 starsHamburger isn't steak

Hamburger's book seems overly thorough in making extended analyses of the many major elements of the Church/State history of America. Read more

Published on February 7, 2009 by Richard R. Mccormick
3.0 out of 5 starsMore than I need to know.

I only skimmed this exhaustive study of the separation of Church and State. Allow me to express my thoughts on the issue. Read more

Published on November 28, 2004 by Ann R. Keye
1.0 out of 5 starsAn unnecessary regressive book.

The first step of any nation moving towards fascism/imperialism is comingling of church and state. This book is an unnecessary and irresponsible junk.

Published on October 2, 2004 by lone philosopher

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Separation of Church and State
Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway
This item: Separation of Church and State
Set up a giveaway

There's a problem loading this menu right now.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.