Sarah Morgan Smith, Ph.D.

smorgan6@ashland.edu

Ashland University

Country: United States (Indiana)

About Me:

I am a Fellow and Director of Teacher Program Faculty at the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, where I serve with David Tucker as a General Editor on the Core Document Collections and as co-director of the Center’s Religion in American History project. My teaching and research focus on the intersection of religion and politics in American history, with an emphasis on questions of civic formation in sustaining political commitments.A native New Jerseyan, I am proud to have received my Ph.D. in Political Science from Rutgers University.

Research Interests

Political Theory

American Political Thought

History Of Ideas

American Political Development

Religion & Politics

Countries of Interest

United States

United Kingdom

Publications:

Journal Articles:

(2018) James Madison, Religious Liberty and Union, History of Political Thought

Madison's commitment to freedom of conscience -- often portrayed as an entirely negative liberty -- should also be understood as a positive liberty, given the capacity of religion to promote both individual virtues and political union. I briefly discuss Madison's understanding of the connection between freedom of conscience and other freedoms, and then focus on his application of this theoretical position to specific political problems: the propriety of religious exemptions from generally applicable laws, and the issuance of religious proclamations. In both instances, Madison's position emphasized how religion could support the political unity he believed to be necessary for the good of the regime.

Book Chapters:

(2016) “‘Glory in the Fight’: Frederick Douglass and the Revival of Republican Religion,”, Lexington Books

in The Rhetoric of Civil Religion: Symbols, Sinners, and Saints, Jason Edwards and Joseph Valenzano, eds.

(2013) “Law and Civil Interest: William Penn’s Toleration,", Palgrave Macmillan

[with Andrew R. Murphy.] In Religious Tolerance in Early Modern England: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, ed. Eliane Glaser.

Other:

(2019) Religion in American History and Politics: Women’s Voices, Ashbrook Press

An edited collection of primary source documents representing the words and deeds of American religious women. It shows how at every stage of American history they were present, testifying and working, even as the importance of their work was often unacknowledged. Indeed, one of the most powerful themes of the collection is faithful perseverance in the face of opposition, and the power of such perseverance to move mountains.