WATCH God in America Episode 5 THE SOUL OF A NATION
https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/view/
Guide for Episode 5:
https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/study-guide/five.html
QUESTIONS:
Why did some Protestants fear the prospect of a Catholic president? What did John F. Kennedy do
to address their concerns, and what did he say to try to convince them otherwise? What relevance
do you think the debates about religion in the 1960 presidential campaign have for politics today?
Analyze the moral vocabulary of Martin Luther King Jr. and the way he uses words such as
freedom, righteousness, justice, and community. What meaning does he give them? What
religious reasoning does he employ? How is his language different from the political discourse of
the time?
The life, death and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., says Andrew Young, "point to the fact that
this is a religious universe." What do you think he means by this? What is he saying about the
significance of religion for the civil rights movement? How did the civil rights movement demonstrate the public power of religion in America?
Sample Solution