What's God Got to Do with it? Robert Ingersoll on Free Though... by Robert G. Ingersoll

Ingersoll believed strongly in First Amendment separation of church and stateĪt a time during which many Americans were calling for a Christian amendment to officially acknowledge God in the Constitution, Ingersoll argued in an oration on July 4, 1876, that one of the strengths of the United States was that “our fathers retired the gods from politics” (5: 21). Ingersoll served as Illinois’ first attorney general and became a lecturer after it was clear that his freethinking was likely to block his way into higher political office. He was an early supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party and fought in the Civil War.

After teaching for a time, he studied for the bar in Illinois. Ingersoll was born in Dresden, New York, the son of a Congregational minister whose wife died when Robert was two years old. Robert Ingersoll (1833–1899), one of the 19th century’s most-sought-after lecturers, was a passionate defender of First Amendment principles, particularly in regard to the separation of church and state. (Photo from Library of Congress, dated between 18, public domain) He particularly championed separation of church and state when others were arguing for a Christian amendment to the U.S. Edited and with a biographical introduction by Pulitzer Prize winner Tim Page, this new popular collection of Ingersoll’s thought – distilled from the twelve-volume set of his works, his copious letters, and various newspaper interviews – promises to put Ingersoll back where he belongs, in the forefront of independent American thought.Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899) was a sought-after lecturer in the 1800s and a passionate defender of First Amendment rights.

The publication of What’s God Got to Do with It? will return Robert Ingersoll and his ideas to American political discourse. Edison, who said Ingersoll had “all the attributes of a perfect man” and went so far as to make an early recording of Ingersoll’s voice. An outspoken and unapologetic agnostic, fervent champion of the separation of church and state, and tireless advocate of the rights of women and African Americans, he drew enormous audiences in the late nineteenth century with his lectures on “freethought.” His admirers included Mark Twain and Thomas A. Robert Ingersoll (1833-1899) is one of the great lost figures in United States history, all but forgotten at just the time America needs him most.

What's God Got to Do With It?: Robert Ingersoll on Free Thought, Honest Talk and the Separation of Church and State

What's God Got to Do with it? Robert Ingersoll on Free Though... by Robert G. Ingersoll