Article of the week
Why this article
To conclude our reflection on the links between power and religion (initiated with the presentation of Pete Hegseth, then the ideological issues of the war in Iran), we offer you this article from the daily USA Today which decrypts how the Trump administration is instrumentalizing the 250th anniversary of American independence to promote an explicitly Christian vision of the history and identity of the United States.
This article highlights the tensions between an assumed Protestant ideological orientation and the First Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits the designation of an official state religion.
This article will interest first-year students studying theme 6 on the relationship between states and religions and could even serve as a basis for an oral presentation project on the instrumentalization of religion led by President Trump.
If one quote had to be remembered
“We are witnessing the undermining of the institutional separation of religion and state. This strikes at the heart of what it means to be American, to be free to believe or not, free to pray or not to pray.”
This quote by Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons, vice president of Interfaith Alliance, summarizes the issues at the heart of the celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American independence. The prayer book published by the White House, titled Prayers and Proclamations Throughout American History, opens with a dubious apocryphal anecdote: the story of English colonists arriving at Cape Henry in 1607, who allegedly consecrated the land to God through prayer, without any historical evidence to support it. For many historians, this publication on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of independence demonstrates a deliberate attempt to inscribe the founding of the United States in an explicitly Christian approach.
At the origin of this orientation is Freedom 250, an organization created by Trump parallel to the official America250 committee, founded by Congress in 2016. Freedom 250 has implemented several initiatives with a strong religious tone: an operation called “America Prays” inviting Americans to pray in groups of ten each week, and a National Prayer that took place on May 17 in Washington, presented as a “great awakening” of Protestant tradition. Among Freedom 250’s partners, a quarter of them are linked to evangelical Christianity, including WallBuilders, an organization openly advocating for a U.S. government based on Christian principles. No partners affiliated with another religion are currently on the list.
Freedom 250 has also funded, with public funds, six traveling museums (the Freedom Trucks) whose educational content has been produced in part by PragerU, a conservative organization. These “freedom trucks” spread the idea that America’s founding principles are rooted in Christian values and present the founding fathers as convinced that God created man for freedom. Historians point out that these narratives downplay the role of other intellectual currents that also contributed to the country’s founding, such as the Enlightenment and Judaism, in favor of a conservative evangelical interpretation of American history.
To go further
To deepen the issues surrounding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence, we suggest consulting the following links:
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This New York Times article showing how Donald Trump is seeking to shape American history.
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This press review discussing the grandiose triumphal arch project desired by the American president.
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This press review about American passports released for the commemorations, featuring the portrait of Donald Trump.
And what not to miss this week either
We can offer first-year students studying the power of Russia and terminal students working on the theme of conflicts this press review showing how the Kremlin is preparing its public opinion for an acceptable end to the war in Ukraine.
