About the Film
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…
“Free Exercise: America’s Story of Religious Liberty” tells the up and down, always fascinating and ever-evolving tale of the greatest experiment in religious freedom that the world has ever seen.
Told in fast-moving chapters that highlight the stories and struggles of six American faith communities – Quakers, Baptists, Black churches, Catholics, Mormons and Jews – this two-hour documentary then widens its focus to examine recent challenges to Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Native Americans and the Supreme Court decisions that continue to make headlines today.
This is not just a film about religion. This is about America and the Constitution. It is a brutally honest look at how this uniquely and most cherished concept of religious liberty has developed over the centuries, how it’s under threat today and why it remains necessary to stand up for this right today.
"Religious liberty has been the glue that has held American society together."
- Marcus Cole, Notre Dame School of Law
In “Free Exercise,” host and award-winning author Richard Brookhiser takes viewers on an epic journey spanning 500 years and two continents, from the canals of Amsterdam to the streets of Flushing; to an existential debate over religious protections in Virginia where we decided who we would be as a nation; to a synagogue in Newport where the first President made clear that equal citizenship applied to a persecuted race; to a trip up the Ohio River and a stop on the Underground Railroad where faith leaders shepherded enslaved people to freedom; to the once-riot-torn streets of Philadelphia where residents attacked their fellow citizens over their faith and to the mountain desert of Salt Lake and the end of an epic trek across the nation so people could live and practice their religion in peace. Finally, the film lands in the present, as we the people still grapple with this most fundamental question: What does religious toleration mean?
This important and timely film was conceived by Executive Producer Thomas D. Lehrman and Brookhiser and co-directed by Leo Eaton and John Paulson and involves more than 40 experts, historians, professors and religious leaders.
The Founding Fathers believed the free exercise of religion to be so critical that they enshrined its protection in the First Amendment. Now comes the most complete documentary film ever on the history, meaning and intent of the Free Exercise clause and how it continues to shape America today.
“It’s quite simple. In order to protect my religious freedom, I have to protect yours, too.”
- Asma Udin, Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
Film Credits
In Memory of
LEO EATON
Directed by
LEO EATON and JOHN PAULSON
Produced by
BARBARA BALLOW
LEO EATON
JOHN PAULSON
LYN RAPPAPORT REID
Narrated by
RICHARD BROOKHISER
Executive Producer
THOMAS D. LEHRMAN
Written by
RICHARD BROOKHISER
LEO EATON
THOMAS D. LEHRMAN
JOHN PAULSON
Editor
BARBARA BALLOW
Director of Photography
GARY KEITH GRIFFIN
Produced in Cooperation with
BECKET FUND FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Music Composed and Conducted by
JOHN KELTONIC