Chapter 3, "State and Church" Summary and Analysis

James Carroll reminisces on experiences as a young boy growing up in Washington, D.C. The Carrolls are well-connected politically, so they attend presidential inaugural parades. James is proud to attend inaugurations from Roosevelt through Kennedy and Nixon. The years from 1945 to 1973, are backdrop for his political conversion from awestruck two-year-old to war-protesting priest by 1973. He sees unity of the secular and sacred in D.C.

The author is two years old. His mother takes him and his four-year-old brother, Joe, to a presidential inauguration. It is wartime, so Roosevelt rules that a large celebration is inappropriate. Roosevelt's health is declining and provides further reason to minimize festivities. He dies a few months later. FDR is an admired president because of the way he treats his affliction. In 1921, he is struck with polio...