This study offers a new and challenging look at Christian institutions and practices in Britain’s Caribbean and southern American colonies. Focusing on the plantation societies of Barbados; Jamaica; and South Carolina; Nicholas M. Beasley finds that the tradition of liturgical worship in these places was more vibrant and more deeply rooted in European Christianity than previously thought. In addition; Beasley argues; white colonists’ attachment to religious continuity was thoroughly racialized. Church customs; sacraments; and ceremonies were a means of regulating slavery and asserting whiteness. Drawing on a mix of historical and anthropological methods; Beasley covers such topics as church architecture; pew seating customs; marriage; baptism; communion; and funerals. Colonists created an environment in sacred time and space that framed their rituals for maximum social impact; and they asserted privilege and power by privatizing some rituals and by meting out access to rituals to people of color. Throughout; Beasley is sensitive to how this culture of worship changed as each colony reacted to its own political; environmental; and demographic circumstances across time. Local factors influencing who partook in Christian rituals and how; when; and where these rituals took place could include the structure of the Anglican Church; which tended to be less hierarchical and centralized than at home in England; the level of tensions between Anglicans and Protestants; the persistence of African religious beliefs; and colonists’ attitudes toward free persons of color and elite slaves.This book enriches an existing historiography that neglects the cultural power of liturgical Christianity in the early South and the British Caribbean and offers a new account of the translation of early modern English Christianity to early America.
#1011358 in Books University of Georgia Press 1999-01-01 1999-01-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.06 x 6.12l; 1.36 #File Name: 0820320331328 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Thank you Dr. Williams!By mbsMy family lived near Eufaula; Alabama at the start of the Civil War. My 5th ggrandfather and his eldest son "enlisted" at the start of the war. My 4th ggrandfather came of age and joined about a year and a half before the war's end. His brother had been captured at Gettysburg and died/was killed at Fort Delaware by the time he was reunited with his dad.I say his brother died and or was killed because of conflicting reports from reading "The war between the Union and the Confederacy" which was written by Col. William C. Oates (who commanded my family members in the 15th Alabama Infantry); and a report I received from the Department of Veteran Affairs.Oates states he was killed by another prisoner; and the VA says he died of something like pneumonia. Two apparently expert resources (the government; and Oates who later became a state governor and a member of the House of Representatives *also government IMHO*) conflicting each other.The reason I'm including all this TMI is to illustrate the need for more research on "social polarizing" subjects from the standpoint of the socioeconomic affects at play. How else can we as a society make any sense of (or truthfully say we have any kind of understanding on) the positions of the North and the South; without digging into the social norms and values that drove the common man? Round out our popular history lessons and help us fill in the gaps!The truth on what happened to my great uncle will likely never be learned. But there is so very much more we can learn; than what is typically spoken of or taught on this event that still reverberates through our culture today. Who knows; maybe with enough open mindedness and desire to find the truth it may be that we can finally put aside our (sometimes hidden) differences and fully become American brothers and sisters?You have my heartfelt thanks Dr. Williams; I look forward to reading more of your titles!18 of 19 people found the following review helpful. New perspective on the South during the Civil WarBy A CustomerThis book contradicts the widely held belief that the South's lack of industry and men were the root of Confederate defeat during the American Civil War. Williams constructs a vivid and compelling theory of socio-economic conflicts within the South that ultimately led to its downfall. The author uses a variety of primary sources; including personal correspondence that humanizes the Civil War. The book is the product of extensive research and is entertaining and well-written. I recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil War or Southern history in general. It is thought-provoking.11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Beyond Gone With The WindBy Scott WilliamsDavid tells a story of real people; with real problems; desparately trying to survive in a world turned upside down. This work is full of truth. Outlining the fact that merely 1/3 of the South's population really supported the War. And hinting at what the outcome might have been; had the local gentry fostered a policy of inclusion; rather than that of slavery; segregation; and the culture of the elite. This is a MUST read for anyone interested in the cultural evolution of the New South. And an eye opening journey into our own past; redefining what it truely means to be "Southern".
