A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 (Paperback)

by Paul E. Johnson (Author) "CHARLES FINNEY came to Rochester via the Erie Canal in the autumn of 1830..." (more)
Key Phrases: dated admissions, journeyman craftsmen, journeyman craftsman, New York, Charles Finney, Nathaniel Rochester (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Indispensable . . . Johnson has brilliantly fused the quantitative methods of the 'new social history' with a sparkling style and an imaginative reconstruction of social reality." -- David Brion Davis, Yale University

"Johnson's book is indispensable for any understanding of the evangelical revival and related reform movements in New York's 'burned-over district.' No less important, Professor Johnson has brilliantly fused the quantitative methods of the 'new social history' with a sparkling style and an imaginative reconstruction of social reality. Both in substantive conclusions and as a model for future regional studies, A Shopkeeper's Millennium is one of the freshest and most exciting books I have read in the past few years."--David Brion Davis, Yale University

"This is far more than a study of local history, and more even than a provocative interpretation of the social sources of religious revivalism. It is a brilliant pioneering assault upon the most important unaddressed problem in American historiography--how our society and very personalities were transformed by the rapid advance of the capitalist market in the earlier twentieth century."--Charles Sellers, University of California, Berkeley
-- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"This is far more than a study of local history, and more even than a provocative interpretation of the social sources of religious revivalism. It is a brilliant pioneering assault upon the most important unaddressed problem in American historiography--how our society and very personalities were transformed by the rapid advance of the capitalist market in the earlier nineteenth century." --Charles Sellers, University of California, Berkeley

"Johnson's book is indispensable for any understanding of the evangelical revival and related reform movements in New York's 'burned-over' district. No less important, Professor Johnson has brilliantly fused the quantitative methods of the 'new social history' with a sparkling style and an imaginative reconstruction of social reality. Both in substantive conclusions and as a model for future regional studies, A Shopkeeper's Millennium is one of the freshest and most exciting books I have read in the past few years." --David Brion Davis, Yale University

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Paperback: 240 pages Publisher: Hill and Wang (June 21, 2004) Language: English ISBN-10: 0809016354 ISBN-13: 978-0809016358 Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,334 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #33 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Church History > Protestant

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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First Sentence:
CHARLES FINNEY came to Rochester via the Erie Canal in the autumn of 1830. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
dated admissions, journeyman craftsmen, journeyman craftsman, indoor workshops, five deciles, temperance men, session minutes, master workmen

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Charles Finney, Nathaniel Rochester, Thurlow Weed, United States, Abelard Reynolds, Alvah Strong, Everard Peck, Jonothan Child, Erie Canal, Josiah Bissell, Lewis Selye, Matthew Brown, Pioneer Line, Whig Party, Colonel Rochester, First Presbyterian Church, New England, Thomas Kempshall, Brick Church, Frederick Whittlesey, Genesee Valley, Luke's Church, Lyman Beecher, Brick Presbyterian Church

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 37 books:

• Knowing British History (v. 7) by S.L. Case in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Industrial Revolution by Dave Thompson in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Four Generations: Population, Land and Family in Colonial Andover, Massachusetts by Philip Greven in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Drink and the Victorians by Brian Harrison in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Religion and the Rise of the American City: New York City Mission Movement, 1812-70 by Carroll Smith Rosenberg in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)

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177 books cite this book:

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• Theatre Culture in America, 1825-1860 (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama) by Rosemarie K. Bank on 4 pages
• Methodism and the Southern Mind, 1770-1810 (Religion in America Series) by Cynthia Lynn Lyerly on 4 pages
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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Sam Patch, the Famous Jumper by Paul E. Johnson

Discusses:

• dated admissions
• journeyman craftsmen
• Erie Canal

Sam Patch, the Famous Jumper by Paul E. Johnson Discusses: dated admissions journeyman craftsmen Erie Canal Loading...

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.1 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent study of "The Burnt-Over District" of upstate NY., February 20, 2000 By A Customer This review is from: A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 (American Century) (Paperback) New York State's construction of the Erie Canal transformed the tiny frontier town of Rochester into young America's first inland boom town, with an economy based on milling local grain and transporting the flour east to feed the older coastal cities. In this role, it became the prototype for all the thousands of commercial towns and cities that sprang up along railroads across the Midwest during the nineteenth century, as well as the crucible in which the Midwest's particular brand of evangelical protestant piety was first worked out. 'A Shopkeeper's Millenium' is by far the best examination of this important piece of American history I have found anywhere, and I recommend it highly. 10 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable social history., August 19, 1999 By  Glenn M. Harden (Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 (American Century) (Paperback) Paul Johnson's highly readable case study of Finney-inspired revivals in Rochester argues that these revivals were a response to the breakdown of social relationships involving work. His research finds that the revivals converted the relatively stable entrepreneurial class of Rochester who had recently abandoned former traditional employer-employee relationships where the employee boarded within the home of the employer. The revival legitimized this abandonment (and the resulting free labor system) by emphasizing the individual's moral freedom. Furthermore, the revival united the entrepreneurial class behind a mission-oriented Protestantism that enabled them to assert economic pressure, and a measure of social control, over the working class. While clearly sympathetic to the working class perspective, Johnson does not create a Protestant hegemonic conspiracy where none existed. Although one may dissent from his fundamental assumptions and approach, Johnson's argument is quite effective within the framework he has set for himself. I recommend this work to students of religion and society and antebellum reform. 7 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Revivals, Charismatic Actors of the Second Great Awakening., July 15, 1998 By A Customer This review is from: A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 (American Century) (Paperback) Through patient research (six years in the making) and profound interpretation Paul E. Johnson has composed a small, but masterful, account of how the rising bourgeois class of Rochester, New York shaped its budding culture around religious action within the tsunami of pre-industrialism that was flooding American mill and manufacturing towns during the early nineteenth century. Taking Rochester as a representative microcosm of the new capitalist paradigm that was sweeping the new nation, A Shopkeeper's Millennium dissects the roots, causes, changes, and outcomes that occurred during 1815 to 1837 that paved the way to a new dominant culture where old paternalistic norms for social control gave in to devout religious internalization. Johnson's thesis centers around the climatic role that the Rochester religious revival of 1831 played in converting not only individuals first, but in the aftermath, Rochesterian society as a whole. The Rochester revival of 1831 played a! ! vital role in the Second Great Awakening. Rochester was the pivotal point in Charles Gradison Finney's rise to fame. As Peter Worsley in his book, The Trumpet Shall Sound, discovered that "charisma provides `more than an abstract ideological rationale...It is a legitimation grounded in a relationship of loyalty and identification in which the leader is followed simply because he embodies values in which the followers have an interest.'" Through Finney's charisma, converted Rochesterians; many being the master workmen or manufacturers; took the proverbial "bull by the horns" and ran with their new found paradigm--a paradigm that justified, through religious conversion, the acts that one social class should dominate another for economic gain. Prior to the 1831 revival, social construction in Rochester was quite different.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting microperspective on Rochester, New York during the Market Revolution A Shopkeeper's Millennium is in response to new interest in the Great Awakening. But while previous studies have explained the growth of multiple cities during this time period,... Read more Published 4 months ago by B. Yager 5.0 out of 5 stars textbook This is one of the textbooks my daughter needed for her college class. It is one she will keep. Published 10 months ago by Susan Cogdill-Lindsey 4.0 out of 5 stars At the Dawn of American Capitalism In any truly socialist understanding of history the role of the class struggle plays a central role. Read more Published 17 months ago by Alfred Johnson 3.0 out of 5 stars Fine read, evidence not convincing enough. I read this book in conjunction with another about antebellum religious reform in the 19th century. I found this book easier to understand, but that's not saying much. Read more Published on March 31, 2005 by Justin D. Siebenhaar 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book For those who want to discover how the Second Great Awakening affected the town of Rochester, New York, then this book is for you. Read more Published on June 21, 2000 by Derek N. Lyall 3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting though not quite convincing account Though Johnson does his homework in bringing Rochester and revivals to life, the book is too short. Nowhere do we get background on the Great Awakening; the role of women is... Read more Published on October 25, 1999 by john maass ([e-mail]) Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang (June 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809016354
• ISBN-13: 978-0809016358
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,334 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #33 in

  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Church History > Protestant

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent study of "The Burnt-Over District" of upstate NY., February 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 (American Century) (Paperback)

New York State's construction of the Erie Canal transformed the tiny frontier town of Rochester into young America's first inland boom town, with an economy based on milling local grain and transporting the flour east to feed the older coastal cities. In this role, it became the prototype for all the thousands of commercial towns and cities that sprang up along railroads across the Midwest during the nineteenth century, as well as the crucible in which the Midwest's particular brand of evangelical protestant piety was first worked out. 'A Shopkeeper's Millenium' is by far the best examination of this important piece of American history I have found anywhere, and I recommend it highly.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable social history., August 19, 1999

By	Glenn M. Harden (Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 (American Century) (Paperback)

Paul Johnson's highly readable case study of Finney-inspired revivals in Rochester argues that these revivals were a response to the breakdown of social relationships involving work. His research finds that the revivals converted the relatively stable entrepreneurial class of Rochester who had recently abandoned former traditional employer-employee relationships where the employee boarded within the home of the employer. The revival legitimized this abandonment (and the resulting free labor system) by emphasizing the individual's moral freedom. Furthermore, the revival united the entrepreneurial class behind a mission-oriented Protestantism that enabled them to assert economic pressure, and a measure of social control, over the working class. While clearly sympathetic to the working class perspective, Johnson does not create a Protestant hegemonic conspiracy where none existed. Although one may dissent from his fundamental assumptions and approach, Johnson's argument is quite effective within the framework he has set for himself. I recommend this work to students of religion and society and antebellum reform.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Revivals, Charismatic Actors of the Second Great Awakening., July 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 (American Century) (Paperback)

Through patient research (six years in the making) and profound interpretation Paul E. Johnson has composed a small, but masterful, account of how the rising bourgeois class of Rochester, New York shaped its budding culture around religious action within the tsunami of pre-industrialism that was flooding American mill and manufacturing towns during the early nineteenth century. Taking Rochester as a representative microcosm of the new capitalist paradigm that was sweeping the new nation, A Shopkeeper's Millennium dissects the roots, causes, changes, and outcomes that occurred during 1815 to 1837 that paved the way to a new dominant culture where old paternalistic norms for social control gave in to devout religious internalization. Johnson's thesis centers around the climatic role that the Rochester religious revival of 1831 played in converting not only individuals first, but in the aftermath, Rochesterian society as a whole. The Rochester revival of 1831 played a! ! vital role in the Second Great Awakening. Rochester was the pivotal point in Charles Gradison Finney's rise to fame. As Peter Worsley in his book, The Trumpet Shall Sound, discovered that "charisma provides `more than an abstract ideological rationale...It is a legitimation grounded in a relationship of loyalty and identification in which the leader is followed simply because he embodies values in which the followers have an interest.'" Through Finney's charisma, converted Rochesterians; many being the master workmen or manufacturers; took the proverbial "bull by the horns" and ran with their new found paradigm--a paradigm that justified, through religious conversion, the acts that one social class should dominate another for economic gain. Prior to the 1831 revival, social construction in Rochester was quite different.