Includes bibliographical references (p. [469]-503) and index.

In this chronicle of the spiritual life of a nation, educator Moore focuses on the role that prayer has played in every area of American life. He shows how the faith of Americans--from founding fathers to corporate tycoons, from composers to social reformers, from generals to slaves--was an essential ingredient in the formation of American culture, character, commerce and creed. He probes the approach to prayer by such diverse individuals as Benjamin Franklin, Elvis Presley, Frank Lloyd Wright, Martha Graham, J. C. Penney, Mary Pickford, Cesar Chavez, P. T. Barnum, Jackie Robinson, and Christopher Columbus. He engages in a thoughtful, timely examination of the modern debate over public prayer and how the current approach to prayer bears deep roots in the philosophies of the country's founding fathers, a subject which remains distinct from the debate over church and state.--From publisher description.