Religion

One hallmark of the American experience captured in the Museum's collections is the nation's broad diversity of religious faiths. Artifacts range from Thomas Jefferson's Bible to a huge "Sunstone" sculpture carved for a Mormon temple in Illinois in 1844 to a household shrine from the home of a Pueblo Indian in the 1990s. Furniture, musical instruments, clothing, cooking ware, and thousands of prints and figures in the collections have all played roles in the religious lives of Americans. The most comprehensive collections include artifacts from Jewish and Christian European Americans, Catholic Latinos, Protestant Arab Americans, Buddhist and Christian Asian Pacific Americans, and Protestant African Americans. One notable group is the Vidal Collection of carved figures known as santos and other folk religious material from the practice of Santeria in Puerto Rico.

Physical DescriptionSong and Service Book for Ship and Field, Army and Navy, edited by Ivan Loveridge Bennett.
Description
Physical Description
Song and Service Book for Ship and Field, Army and Navy, edited by Ivan Loveridge Bennett. Gilt title on maroon boards, 192 pp.
General History
The Song and Service Book for Ship and Field, Army and Navy, edited by Ivan Loveridge Bennett, features prayers, hymns, and patriotic songs used in various military ceremonies and religious services.
date made
1942
printer
U.S. Government Printing Office
ID Number
1982.0372.01
accession number
1982.0372
catalog number
1982.0372.01
Around 1820 Thomas Jefferson cut and pasted verses from the New Testament to create this work, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, Extracted textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French, & English.
Description
Around 1820 Thomas Jefferson cut and pasted verses from the New Testament to create this work, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, Extracted textually from the Gospels in Greek, Latin, French, & English. His purpose was to distill Jesus' ethical teachings from accounts of miracles and other elements that he considered distortions of Jesus' history and thought. Jefferson was a Deist--he believed in a Creator but did not believe in the divinity of Jesus. He thought he could distinguish between Jesus' true message and the apostles' later additions or misunderstandings by using reason as a guide.
Jefferson created this book for his own reading and reflection. He used texts in four different languages and placed them side-by-side so that he could compare which version seemed to him to express Jesus's moral views most clearly. He believed that those views provided "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man."
Jefferson made no plans to publish this work. He knew that his beliefs were unorthodox and that they offended both religious authorities and political opponents. He considered his own and others' religious beliefs to be a matter of private conscience and thought they should not be subjected to public scrutiny or governmental regulation. "I not only write nothing on religion, but rarely permit myself to speak on it," he told a friend.
The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth descended in Jefferson's family until late in the 19th century, when it came to the National Museum. The U.S. Congress first provided for the publication of the book in 1904. Since then, many editions have appeared in print. Some of them carry a title that Jefferson himself never used: "The Jefferson Bible"
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1820
owner
Jefferson, Thomas
maker
Jefferson, Thomas
ID Number
PL.158231
catalog number
158231
accession number
147182
Book, leather over boards.Binding broken.A Journal or Historical Account of the Life, Travels, and Christian Experiences of ...Thomas Chalkley; bound with The Works of Thomas Chalkley, Part II only (no Part I). Both imprints Philadelphia: Printed by B. Franklin and D.
Description (Brief)
Book, leather over boards.Binding broken.
A Journal or Historical Account of the Life, Travels, and Christian Experiences of ...Thomas Chalkley; bound with The Works of Thomas Chalkley, Part II only (no Part I). Both imprints Philadelphia: Printed by B. Franklin and D. Hall, 1749
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1749
associated date
1749
printer
Franklin, Benjamin
ID Number
GA.16522
accession number
118225
catalog number
16522
This music book The Triumph! was edited by George Frederick Root. It was published by Root & Cady in Chicago, Illinois, in 1868.
Description (Brief)

This music book The Triumph! was edited by George Frederick Root. It was published by Root & Cady in Chicago, Illinois, in 1868. This is a collection of music containing an introductory course for congregational singing, theory of music and teacher's manual, elementary, intermediate and advanced courses, for singing schools and musical conventions, and tunes, hymns, anthems and chants for choirs.

George Frederick Root (1820– 1895) was an American songwriter, best known for songs such as "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" and "The Battle Cry of Freedom."

Location
Currently not on view
date made
1868
ID Number
2014.0181.05
accession number
2014.0181
catalog number
2014.0181.05
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2008.3060.02
nonaccession number
2008.3060
catalog number
2008.3060.02
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1902
date of publishing
1902
ID Number
GA.09447
catalog number
09447
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1874
date of inscription
1879
associated date
1874
graphic artist
Diaz de Leon y White
publisher
Joaquin Garcia Icazbaleeta
graphic artist
Diaz de Leon y White
ID Number
2010.0025.45
catalog number
2010.0025.45
accession number
2010.0025
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1926
associated date
1926
maker
Coleman, R. H.
ID Number
CL.306787.90
accession number
306787
catalog number
306787.90
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940
associated date
1940
maker
Knox Press, John
ID Number
CL.306787.85
accession number
306787
catalog number
306787.85
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2008.3060.03
nonaccession number
2008.3060
catalog number
2008.3060.03
Physical DescriptionPrint on paper; bound in leather.Specific HistoryNew Testament owned by James H. Stetson, who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.General HistoryThe Battle of Gettysburg was a critical turning point in the American Civil War.
Description
Physical Description
Print on paper; bound in leather.
Specific History
New Testament owned by James H. Stetson, who was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.
General History
The Battle of Gettysburg was a critical turning point in the American Civil War. During the first three days of July 1863, over 172,000 men and 634 cannons were positioned in an area encompassing 25 square miles. An estimated 569 tons of ammunition were expended and, when the battle had ended, the losses toped 51,000 in dead and wounded soldiers on both sides. While the Confederate army retreated after Gettysburg, the war would drag on another two years. It would be the most costly battle ever fought on U.S. soil. The battle was commemorated by Abraham Lincoln’s legendary address. Lincoln stated: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who died here that the nation might live. This we may, in all propriety do. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have hallowed it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” The world has remembered both the battle and Lincoln’s eloquent words.
Date made
1852
user
Stetson, James H.
publisher
American Bible Society
ID Number
AF.77318M
catalog number
77318M
accession number
307583
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1900-1901
associated date
1900
original
17th century
publisher
Duc de Loubat
printer
Hazell, Watson, & Viney
ID Number
GA.09445
catalog number
09445
The civilizations of pre-Hispanic Mexico recorded their histories, religious beliefs, and scientific knowledge in books called codices. Codices are folded pieces of hide or bark that depict both mundane and spiritual scenes with images, symbols, and numbers.
Description
The civilizations of pre-Hispanic Mexico recorded their histories, religious beliefs, and scientific knowledge in books called codices. Codices are folded pieces of hide or bark that depict both mundane and spiritual scenes with images, symbols, and numbers. Scribes and painters busily recorded daily affairs, filling libraries and temples with books throughout Mexico and Central America. The majority of these illustrated books did not survive the Spanish conquest. But indigenous scribes trained by Spanish missionaries continued writing. While these colonial-era texts were still filled with pictures, over time they referenced the visual language of older Mexican and Maya books less and less. These new books about community histories (including land titles) and secret religious traditions were sometimes bilingual, combining Spanish with either Náhautl (the common language of central Mexico) or a Mayan language, both of which were now written with the Latin alphabet. This image is from an Italian reproduction of the Codex Telleriano-Remensis, a manuscript co-written by Spanish friar Pedro de los Ríos about 1550. It documents the religious beliefs, calendar system, traditions, and history of the Tolteca-Chichimeca culture of Central Mexico. Joseph Florimond, Duc de Loubat, (1837–1921) was an American philanthropist who published a series of reproductions of pre-Hispanic and colonial-era Mexican manuscripts, including the Codex Telleriano-Remensis. The Graphic Arts Collection of the National Museum of American History houses several reproductions of Mesoamerican codices published for study by French, German, and Italian scholars at the turn of the 20th century.
Description (Spanish)
Las civilizaciones del México prehispano registraron sus historias, creencias religiosas y conocimientos científicos en libros denominados códices. Los códices son piezas plegadas de cuero o corteza que describen tanto escenas mundanas como espirituales mediante imágenes, símbolos y números. Escribas y pintores registraron afanosamente asuntos de la vida diaria, llenando bibliotecas y templos con libros en todo México y América Central. La mayoría de estos libros ilustrados no sobrevivieron a la conquista española. Pero los escribas indígenas adiestrados por misioneros españoles continuaron escribiendo. Mientras que estos textos de la época colonial aún se observan plenos de imágenes, con el tiempo fueron dejando de hacer referencia al lenguaje visual de los antiguos libros mexicanos y mayas. Estos nuevos libros sobre historias de la comunidad (incluyendo títulos territoriales) y sobre tradiciones religiosas secretas a menudo eran bilingües, combinando español con náhuatl (la lengua común a la región de México central) o con una lengua maya, ambas ya escritas con el alfabeto latino. Esta imagen pertenece a una reproducción italiana del Codex Telleriano-Remensis, manuscrito con cuya escritura colaboró el fraile español Pedro de los Ríos alrededor de 1550. Se documentan en él las creencias religiosas, el sistema calendario, las tradiciones y la historia de la cultura Tolteca-Chichimeca de México Central. Joseph Florimond, Duc de Loubat, (1837-1921) fue un filántropo norteamericano que publicó una serie de reproducciones de manuscritos de la época prehispánica y colonial de México, incluyendo el Codex Telleriano-Remensis. La Colección de Artes Gráficas del Museo Nacional de Historia Americana alberga varias reproducciones de los códices mesoamericanos publicados para su estudio por eruditos franceses, alemanes e italianos a principios del siglo XX.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1900
Associated Date
1900
publisher
Duc de Loubat
ID Number
2006.0226.37
catalog number
09449
2006.0226.37
accession number
2006.0226
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1988.0043.001
accession number
1988.0043
catalog number
1988.0043.001
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date published
1836
ID Number
DL.033664
catalog number
033664
accession number
70138
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date published
1845
inscribed date
1847-05-20
publisher
D. Appleton and Company
ID Number
DL.033665
catalog number
033665
accession number
70138
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1850 - 1875
ID Number
DL.298065.0169
catalog number
298065.0169
accession number
298065
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date "Book of Common Prayer" published
1868
date "Hymnal" published
1878
presentation date
1879-04-21
confirmation date of T. B. M. Mason
1877-01-21
printer
Eyre and Spottiswoode
ID Number
DL.070138.0064
catalog number
70138.0064
accession number
70138
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1798
Associated Date
1817-03-30
1898
ID Number
DL.61.0382
catalog number
61.0382
accession number
232677
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date book published
1886
date corner covers made
1887
inscribed date
1888-04-01
printer
Eyre and Spottiswoode
maker
Gorham Manufacturing Company
ID Number
DL.033670B
catalog number
33670B
accession number
70138
This Bible is one of 13 contained in the Copp Collection. The book is undated with no publisher noted.The Copp Collection contains about 150 books of early American imprint and shows a wide range of reading matter typical of a New England Puritan family living in a port town.
Description
This Bible is one of 13 contained in the Copp Collection. The book is undated with no publisher noted.
The Copp Collection contains about 150 books of early American imprint and shows a wide range of reading matter typical of a New England Puritan family living in a port town. Literacy was expected of many New Englanders, as Puritan doctrine required everyone to read the Bible. The abundance of multiple Bibles, psalms, hymnodies, sermons, and morality tales reflects the Copp’s religious beliefs. Other highlights of the library include the works of Shakespeare, almanacs, historical and political texts, and travel narratives.
The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.
Location
Currently not on view
users
Copp Family
ID Number
DL.006864
catalog number
006864
accession number
28810
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date published
1818
1822
ID Number
DL.033667
catalog number
033667
accession number
70138
This Bible is one of 13 contained in the Copp Collection. The book is undated with no publisher noted.The Copp Collection contains about 150 books of early American imprint and shows a wide range of reading matter typical of a New England Puritan family living in a port town.
Description
This Bible is one of 13 contained in the Copp Collection. The book is undated with no publisher noted.
The Copp Collection contains about 150 books of early American imprint and shows a wide range of reading matter typical of a New England Puritan family living in a port town. Literacy was expected of many New Englanders, as Puritan doctrine required everyone to read the Bible. The abundance of multiple Bibles, psalms, hymnodies, sermons, and morality tales reflects the Copp’s religious beliefs. Other highlights of the library include the works of Shakespeare, almanacs, historical and political texts, and travel narratives.
The Copp Collection contains a variety of household objects that the Copp family of Connecticut used from around 1700 until the mid-1800s. Part of the Puritan Great Migration from England to Boston, the family eventually made their home in New London County, Connecticut, where their textiles, clothes, utensils, ceramics, books, bibles, and letters provide a vivid picture of daily life. More of the collection from the Division of Home and Community Life can be viewed by searching accession number 28810.
Location
Currently not on view
Currently not on view (bookmark)
date made
1804
owner; user
Copp, Jr., Samuel
owner
Copp Family
ID Number
DL.006861.05
catalog number
6861.05
accession number
28810
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date published
1844
inscribed date
1846-12-25
ID Number
DL.59.0303
catalog number
59.0303
accession number
222949

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