Religion and Slavery in the South, 1740-1800
Loading...
Authors
Teal, Juliana Marie
Issue Date
2010
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Chapter 1 of this study gives an overview of the Great Awakening in the
American South. It describes the impact of the Great Awakening upon the church
denominations of the day. It reviews the importance of the Great Awakening on itinerant
ministers and their views on slavery. The eagerness of the itinerant ministers to convert
slaves to Christianity was displayed in their energetic, charismatic, revivalist approach.
There was concern for the treatment of slaves.
Chapter 2 demonstrates the clergy's support for slavery prior to the Revolution. It
demonstrates the biblical justification for slavery, the idea of patriarch ism, and the
perceived economic benefits of slavery.
Chapter 3 seeks to show the importance of the Revolution on the ministers' views
on slavery. During and shortly after the Revolution, the revivalist itinerant clergy
increasingly denounced the institution of slavery. This chapter seeks to demonstrate the
effect of societal views on the clergy and vice-versa. The Revolutionary ideology
influenced the clergies' views on slavery. The political activity of the ministers had a
significant effect on society.
Chapter 4 portrays the post-Revolution era's views on slavery. The Presbyterians,
Baptists, and Methodists denounced slavery. The Episcopal Church did not take the
same stance, in part due to the economic benefits of slavery to a large number of its
members.
The final chapter, Chapter 5, explains the retreat from their antislavery stance by
the Presbyterian, Baptist, and Methodist denominations. Significant membership support
for slavery made a formal antislavery stance untenable. Some clergy still held firm in
their antislavery stances.
Description
iii, 52 p.
Citation
Publisher
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.