David T. Smith is jointly appointed in the United States Studies Centre and the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney. He earned a PhD in Political Science from the University of Michigan and was a University Medallist and First Class Honours graduate from the University of Sydney. His research focuses on political relations between governments and religious communities in the US and other countries with a focus on Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses.

1. Introduction; 2. Religious freedom and persecution in America: a theoretical overview; 3. Joseph Smith and the rise of Mormonism; 4. The federal response to Mormonism; 5. Jehovah's Witnesses and the flag salute, 1870-1940; 6. Mass violence against Jehovah's Witnesses, 1940-2; 7. The Catholic experience in America; 8. The Jewish experience in America; 9. The Islamic experience in America; 10. Conclusion; 11. Sources and bibliography.