This thesis examines how Christianity and citizenship shaped the ideology of Eugene Debs, the most popular radical in Progressive Era America. It argues that scholars have failed to conduct a thorough exploration of Debs' religious thought. This thesis also challenges the belief among historians that Debs' Christianity was a variant of the alternative Americanism he used to legitimate his agitation against industrial capitalism. This misconception has led historians to follow the lead of Nick Salvatore and conclude that Debs' Christianity was merely an aspect of his attempt to renew the values of republican citizenship associated with the American Revolution. A more accurate representation is that the concept of citizenship formed the core of Debs' ideology as a trade and industrial unionist, but that he found citizenship to be too restrictive and turned to Christianity to address the concerns of humanity and civilization as a socialist. / Department of History
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/187863 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Burns, Dave B. |
| Contributors | Connolly, James J. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | iii, 182 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
| Coverage | n-us--- |
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