Religion, Race, and the Politics of Human Rights in the Twentieth Century U.S.

Description

Wars are often moments of religious mobilizations, when priests and ministers reassure the public that God is on their side. During World War II, however, the opposite happened. Rather than espouse Christian nationalism, America’s most important Protestant leaders fervently embraced the United Nations and human rights. This talk looked at the emergence of Protestant globalism during the mid-twentieth century and how thinking about the whole world transformed American attitudes toward domestic problems, especially segregation. Although the Cold War would soon eclipse the wartime enthusiasm for internationalism abroad, domestic politics were permanently transformed as Protestant leaders reevaluated their views on race in light of universal human rights. Using a global frame of reference, this talk cast new light on the history of antiracism, human rights, and political polarization in the United States.