Onward Townsend Soldiers
Moral Politics and Civil Religion in the Townsend Crusade
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13044697 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Aaron Q Weinstein (0000-0002-9301-5230, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 228-255 |
| Publication date | 2017-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Political Thought (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2161-1580 • E-ISSN: 2161-1599 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/691172 |
| OpenAlex | W2606563193 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 38 |
The Townsend Plan was more than a secular pension scheme—a $200 per month plan for retirees. This article analyzes the organization’s periodical, the Townsend National Weekly, to outline the religiopolitical dimensions of “Townsendism.” It first situates Townsendism in American political thought, showing how it drew heavily on “civil religious” symbols that tie the population metaphysically to the nation. Next, it explores how the plan manufactured these symbols. The first symbol was the plan itself, which is treated as gospel, complete with the quality of spontaneous acceptance. The second symbol was Dr. Francis E. Townsend, who members believed channeled a spiritual connection to Abraham Lincoln. This article concludes that Townsendism was a sect of the American civil religion, indicating that the concept is more plastic than traditionally conceived. It suggests that scholars should reexamine our approach to civil religion and moral politics in American political thought more generally
Physics · Political science · Politics · Quantum mechanics · Townsend · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Historical Studies of British Isles · Law · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity
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| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,43 |
| Citation span | 2019 - 2026 (8) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |