Ford Evening Book Talk: George Washington, Citizenship, and the Jewish Community in America

About the Book

A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom highlights the key role Jews and Judaism played in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. As the most visible non-Christian religion, Judaism was central to the debate over religious freedom in America at a critical juncture. 

The decision to extend citizenship to all religions existed as a debate during the Founding generation. However, the debate was unambiguously decided against the idea of the nation being defined exclusively by Christianity. A Promised Land discusses the key struggle of early America to achieve the broadest possible definition of religious liberty in line with the separation of church and state.

About the Podcast

Antisemitism has deep roots in American history. Yet in the United States, we often talk about it as if it were something new. We’re shocked when events happen like the Tree of Life Shootings in Pittsburgh or the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, but also surprised. We ask, “Where did this come from?” as if it came out of nowhere. But antisemitism in the United States has a history. A long, complicated history. A history easy to overlook. Join us on Antisemitism, U.S.A., a limited podcast series hosted by Mark Oppenheimer, to learn just how deep those roots go.

Antisemitism, U.S.A. is written by historians John Turner and Lincoln Mullen. Our lead scholar is Britt Tevis. The series is executive produced by Jeanette Patrick and produced by Jim Ambuske.

Adam Jortner

Adam Jortner is a professor of history at Auburn University. He is the author of four books and the best-selling Audible series, The Hidden History of the Boston Tea Party. His most recent book, A Promised Land, tells the lost history of Jewish patriots in the American Revolution and their role in creating and securing religious freedom in the wake of the war. He has also written about the history of miracles, religious violence, witchcraft, deism, and monster movies. He lives in Alabama with his family. 

John G. Turner

John G. Turner co-wrote Antisemitism, U.S.A.: A History. He is the author of Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet, coming from Yale University Press in Summer 2025. Turner is Professor of Religious Studies and History at George Mason University.

Lincoln Mullen

Lincoln Mullen is a historian of American religion and the nineteenth-century United States, often using computational methods for texts and maps. He is the executive director of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. At George Mason University, he is a professor in the Department of History and Art History. Mullen is the author of America’s Public Bible: A Commentary.