History of Religious in America Study Guide Fall 2019

Antebellum Culture(s) and Religion(s): 1800–1860 (Session 2)

Monday, September 16, 2019

Preparation:
“New Eden” (conclusion of the episode)
[online access; details below]

+ online reading content linked in this document [see below]

NOTE: The class session will begin with a BONUS QUIZ, which will “count” only
if you need it: the grade on this quiz will either replace your lowest previous quiz
score or it will replace the “zero” for a missed quiz. (If you have completed the
previous three quizzes and your score on this quiz is lower than all of those
quizzes, then it won’t count; it will simply function to help you to process the
content covered in this study guide.) Content that can appear in the quiz is
indicated throughout the preparation notes.

Preliminary Notes

This study guide document sets out five items of preparation for you to work with. First,
you will watch (attentively) the second part of the second episode of “God in America,”
“New Eden.” There are notes (below) to accompany your viewing of the program. Then,
you will work with four fairly short readings provided in online form. There are notes
(below) that include the links for the readings.

As usual, the notes on the preparation highlight key terms, etc. in bold type. The bullet
() indicates important points of information and questions you should be able to
answer. This is content that can be included in the quiz. The word “NOTE” highlights
important points of information, although this will not be included in the quiz unless
otherwise indicated (such as when “NOTE” is followed by a word in bold type).

1) “God in America”: “New Eden” (second part)

To get the context and background for the assigned segment, you need to re-watch just
the last few minutes of the previous segment. So, watch the episode from the point
where Cynthia Lynn Lyerly talks about “the American religious marketplace opening up.”

If you use the Alexander Street streaming service version, start watching at 1:19:34 on
the time-counter. If you are using the PBS website version of “New Eden,” start
watching that episode from 17:33 on the time-counter.

1
History of Religious in America Study Guide Fall 2019

Here, again, are the links for the two viewing options:

i) Alexander Street:
https://video-alexanderstreet-com.proxy.library.emory.edu/watch/a-new-adam-and-a-
new-eden

ii) PBS: https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/view/

Viewing Notes

After listening (again) to Lyerly’s comment, give close attention to the “new” content you
will receive in the remainder of the episode, which you should watch to the end.

 According to the narrator, where was it that “both the risk and the potential of religious
freedom would be played out”?
on america’s frontier
NOTE the discussion of migration westward onto the new “frontier.” (Recall how the
cartoon-song, “Elbow Room,” dealt with this development in American history.)

 Were there many or only a very few churches “on the expanding frontier”?
few
This segment of the episode gives special attention to James Finley. The documentary
leaves out some significant details about his life, which will be filled in by the required
online reading linked below.

NOTE the reference to Finley’s upbringing as a Presbyterian. Presbyterianism was a

Protestant tradition that was closely related to the old Puritan tradition out of which the
Congregational Church had developed. Congregationalists and Presbyterians
agreed on many theological ideas, but disagreed about how churches should be
organized and led (but you don’t need to worry about the details on those differences).

 The key thing to know about Presbyterians is that they believed in predestination to
salvation or damnation. That is, they believed that an individual’s eternal destiny was
entirely a decision of God, made by God before the person was even born.

In the documentary, you hear the actor who plays Finley reflecting on this doctrine by
talking about being (or not being) “one of the elect” (that is, one of those chosen by God
for salvation). You then hear Stephen Prothero discussing the topic, referring to “the old
Calvinist idea.” (The adjective “Calvinist” comes from the name of the 16 th century
Protestant leader, John Calvin, who most influentially advocated the teaching of
predestination.)

 The idea that “we have the choice,” to which Prothero refers, was a major emphasis
of the Methodists.

2
History of Religious in America Study Guide Fall 2019

NOTE the reference to Cane Ridge in Kentucky.

NOTE two key terms: revival; camp meeting. Although the narration might leave the
impression that the two terms are exactly synonymous, they are not. In brief, a camp
meeting was a particular type of religious gathering (which is described in the program),
while a revival was the type of religious event that would happen at a camp meeting.
Revivals could also occur in other settings, besides camp meetings, as they had back
in the 18th century during the First Great Awakening.

NOTE, in the listing of the various denominations with which people were able to
affiliate, the passing reference to Joseph Smith and the Latter Day Saints (also
referred to as Mormons). We will give attention to the Latter Day Saints in the next
preparation and class meeting (Wed., Sept. 18).

NOTE the term evangelical, which has occurred previously in this series.

 The term evangelical comes from the Latin form of the Greek word euangelion
(εὐαγγέλιον), which (as you should recall) means “good message” or “good news.” So,
in a very literal sense, the term refers to belief in the “good message” or “good news”
about Jesus as Savior. As used in the documentary, it refers more specifically to
versions of Protestantism that emphasized the need to share the “good news” and for
people to respond to it in a decisive way. Evangelical Protestants emphasized
preaching that encouraged people to undergo religious conversion, which resulted in a
profoundly new life—being born again.

 A scholar named David Bebbington developed a way of defining and describing

evangelical Protestantism that is commonly referred to as the Bebbington
Quadrilateral, because it consists of four key points (sometimes referred to
metaphorically as the “ingredients” of evangelical Protestantism):

1) conversion (being born again)

2) a strong focus on the Bible as the only and sufficient source of religious knowledge

3) activism in service to God, both in bringing other people to faith in Christ but also in
working to improve the present world

4) “crucicentrism,” a focus on the death of Jesus on the cross as the fundamental basis
of salvation for humankind

(You don’t need to memorize the details of the four “ingredients.” Simply know the term,
Bebbington Quadrilateral and have a basic idea of what it refers to.)

NOTE, in the naming and discussion of the “new kind of preacher,” the reference to
(and picture of) Sojourner Truth (ca. 1797–1883).

3
History of Religious in America Study Guide Fall 2019

NOTE the reference to (and picture of) Charles Finney, who is identified as “becoming
the most talked about preacher in the nation.”

 During the long period of revivals, which denomination attracted more converts than
any other? methodist
NOTE the term circuit riders.

 In basic terms, who did circuit riders operate; what did they do?
travelled, preached around
 By 1850, approximately how many Methodists were there in the United States?
more than 1,000,000
NOTE the program’s discussion of the “activism” referred to in item 3 of the
Bebbington Quadrilateral.

 The religious events and developments covered in this part of the program are
commonly referred to as the Second Great Awakening, which is generally dated as
having begun in 1790 and to have faded out by 1850.

The second major segment of this part of the program begins by referring to the arrival
of “huge numbers of new European immigrants.”

 From where did many of the immigrants come and what was the version of
Christianity to which they adhered? Ireland, catholcism
NOTE the key name: John Hughes.

 Who was the “most outspoken Catholic bishop” in the United States in the period
covered by this program? john hughes
 In basic terms, what problem did Catholics have with the “public” schools in New York
City? bigotted against catholics
 In basic terms, what problem did Catholics have with the fact that the Bible was read
in New York “public” schools? used prodestant bibles
 What did Bishop Hughes ask for (on behalf of the Catholics of New York City)?
catholics should be given money to have their own schools
 In basic terms, what was the objection raised against Bishop Hughes’ decision to
endorse a list of election candidates, recommending them to Catholic voters?
bishops interfering in politics
 What was the result of Bishop Hughes’ endorsement of a list of candidates?
all but 3 candidates were elected
 What practice in New York City public schools did the Maclay Bill (passed in April
1842) put an end to?
end religion instruction in NY public schools

4
History of Religious in America Study Guide Fall 2019

 In basic terms, how did some Protestants react to the passage of the Maclay Bill?
Text
NOTE, again (!), Stephen Prothero’s reference to a “story” that plays an important role
in American culture: the story of the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Turn now to the assigned reading items, all of which are available online through links
provided in the following notes. Each reading is connected in some way to content in
the “New Eden” episode of “God in America.”

2) Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists

This reading looks back to the first half of “New Eden,” which focused on the
development of ideas and practices related to disestablishment and religious liberty.

To access the document, use this link for the “American Scripture” page of the PBS
“God in America” website: https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/american-scripture/

Scroll down to the section titled, “Thomas Jefferson: Letter to the Danbury Baptists.”
Read, first, the summary note. Then, click the link in “Read the text,” and read the text!
The letter is nice and short!

 What was still the “established church” in Massachusetts and Connecticut in the 19th
century?
congregational church
 What did it mean that this church was “established” in those states?
sanctioned state religion and supported with state tax money
 According to the note, what did Jefferson want to keep separated by the “wall” he
referred to? church and state, institutions
 According to the note, what did Jefferson not want separated?
religon and public life
 In basic terms, what did Jefferson claim to believe about religion.
is between each person and god
 According to Jefferson what do “the legitimate powers of government reach” and what
do they not “reach” (that is, to what do they apply and not apply)?
actions, not opinions
 What text was Jefferson explicitly interpreting when he used the expression “wall of
separation between Church & State”?
1st amendment
NOTE: Between 1811 and 1833, Massachusetts and Connecticut passed various
pieces of legislation that gradually weakened the official status of the Congregational

5
History of Religious in America Study Guide Fall 2019

Church until it was fully disestablished in both states: in 1818 in Connecticut1 and in
1833 in Massachusetts.

3) James B. Finley

James B. Finley, to whom you were introduced in the first major segment of the second
part of “New Eden,” is positively remembered by members of the native American
Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma. The Wyandotte Nation originated in what is now
Ontario, Canada and migrated southwest under pressure from the Iroquois, who were
their historic enemies. The United States government forced them to move from Ohio to
Kansas, and then to Oklahoma.

Read a short biographical note about Finley on the Wyandotte Nation’s website:
https://www.wyandotte-nation.org/culture/history/biographies/rev-james-b-finley/

Within this piece, the following are the key words: Methodist; Presbyterian; Cane
Ridge; camp meeting; Jacksonian.

 In Finley’s life, where do you see examples of “activism” (item 3 of the Bebbington
Quadrilateral)?
defender of indian rights, prison reform, antislavery

4) “The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery”

The 1801 Cane Ridge Revival during which James Finley experienced his conversion
was hosted by a Presbyterian congregation that met in the Cane Ridge Meeting
House. In 1804, that church building was the site of the beginning of a new Christian
movement, which is commonly identified as the very first religious tradition to emerge
within the United States (as opposed to being brought to the United States from
Europe). This new movement is commonly referred to as the Restoration Movement (or
as the Stone-Campbell Movement, after its three leading founders, Barton W. Stone
and Thomas and Alexander Campbell). The goal of this movement was to restore
Christian unity by eliminating all denominational distinctions. Three major groupings of
churches emerged out of the movement: the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the
Churches of Christ, and the Independent Christian Churches.2

1OPTIONAL: If you are interested, here is a link to a PDF of the text of the Constitution of Connecticut,
which was promulgated in 1818: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/Content/constitutions/1818_Constitution.pdf.
Content on religion is on pgs. 1 and 6 of the PDF document.

2 Emory’s “Bread Coffeehouse” was founded as an Independent Christian Churches ministry and
describes itself as “sponsored by the Independent Christian Church as well as other denominational
churches”; this description indicates the way that Independent Christian Churches see themselves as
being something different from “denominational churches,” a key feature of Restoration Movement
identity.

6
History of Religious in America Study Guide Fall 2019

On September 10, 1803, a group of Kentucky Presbyterian ministers and their

supporters broke away from the main body of Presbyterians in Kentucky and constituted
themselves as the “Springfield Presbytery.” Less than a year later, on June 10, 1804,
the ministers met at the Cane Ridge Meeting House and composed a document by
which they sought to create a radically renewed version of Christianity.

Use this link to access the document and a follow-up commentary (“address”) by its
original signatories:
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Last_Will_and_Testament_of_The_Springfield_Presbytery

 In basic terms, what kind of Christian community did the signatories to the “Last Will
and Testament” want?
congregstional church
NOTE: The invitation to the Synod of Kentucky (the leadership body of Kentucky
Presbyterians) to “examine” and “suspend every such heretic immediately” is a
sarcastic challenge to that body, rejecting its authority to judge and determine who is a
“heretic.”

5) Sojourner Truth’s Women’s Rights Convention Speech

Sojourner Truth was mentioned (and shown in an image) very briefly in the
documentary program. She was born into slavery around 1797 in the state of New York
and escaped to freedom in 1826. She became an abolitionist and campaigner for
women’s rights. She also preached at camp meetings, as the documentary program
noted.

Sojourner Truth’s most famous speech is commonly known by the title, “Ain’t I a
Woman?” Use this link to access an introductory note and the two published versions of
the speech, which she delivered at a Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio on
May 29, 1851: https://www.thesojournertruthproject.com/compare-the-speeches

As the notes on the two texts indicate, the first version is almost certainly the more
accurate rendering of what she actually said. Give that version of the speech your main
attention.

NOTE the explicitly religious elements of the speech.

NOTE, also, how Sojourner Truth refers to her physical abilities matching those of men.
This was an aspect of her self-presentation that differentiated her from white female
abolitionists and women’s rights campaigners, most of whom embraced a moderate
version of the “cult of domesticity” discussed by Avila (pg. 29). As Avila noted, the ideal
image of women as physically weak and homebound was “out of reach for poorer
women who worked in factories or as domestic servants.” It was also “out of reach” for
enslaved women, such as Sojourner Truth had been!