This book investigates the evolution of public Christianity and its role in shaping the American national identity during the fifty years following the American Revolution. Jonathan D. Sassi, a scholar of American religious history, utilizes primary source documents from the Congregational clergy of New England to challenge the prevailing historiographical consensus. He argues against the narrative that the era was defined solely by a shift toward liberal individualism, proposing instead that a persistent commitment to corporate righteousness and communal destiny remained central to the American experiment.

Historians and scholars of American religion frequently cite this work for its nuanced re-evaluation of the early national period. Experts highlight the text as a significant contribution to understanding the intellectual continuity of religious thought in the face of rapid political change.