'Scholars who talk about America’s “civic religion” often don’t appreciate the half of it...'

That's Gordon Wood's first sentence at his New York Review essay from 1997, "Dusting Off the Declaration."

The essay was posted to the front page of the journal's website, for the long Independence Day weekend, no doubt. Wood review's Pauline Maier, American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. I was in graduate school when that came out and have not read it. I have read Wood's The Radicalism of the American Revolution, however. He's a foremost expert on the period so it's worth reading around, considering both the Maier review and the books.

It's been a great holiday weekend, by the way. My wife has had time off and we were able to take in a game at the ballpark and at few at home together as well.

Happy Freedom, dear readers.