Religion has played an integral role in shaping each president’s time in office. For this course, we will be studying three notable speeches made by past U.S. Presidents on themes including religious toleration in the United States, the role personal faith plays in the decisions of government officials, and a religious account of the Civil War. By examining these speeches, students will learn about the role statesmanship and faith play in politics. In particular, we will study Washington’s Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s “Speech on His Religion,” and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address.