In a column written for CNN.com entitled “Why U.S. is Not a Christian Nation” that appeared on July 4th, I wrote about the history of early America as a secular republic.
Today, a few days after marking Independence Day and celebrating the events of 1776 in Philadelphia, I want to highlight a piece of “America’s Hidden History” that underscores the dangers of an “official” religion and the irony of calling America a “Christian Nation.” The story is of a time when Christian sectarian violence led to bloodshed in the streets of Philadelphia.
Starting in n May 1844 and then again for several days following the 1844 Independence Day Parade, Philadelphia –the City of Brotherly Love– was torn apart by a series of deadly riots. Known as the “Bible Riots,” the bloody street fighting and violence grew out of the vicious anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiment that was so widespread in 19th century America. Families were burned out of their homes. Churches were destroyed. And more than two dozen people died in one of the worst urban riots in early American History. This video offer an overview of the “Bible Riots.”
The story of the “Bible Riots” is another untold tale that I explore in greater in A NATION RISING, now available in paperback.
A NATION RISING -National Bestseller now in paperback
