In this pathbreaking study, Patricia Bonomi argues that religion was as instrumental as either politics or the economy in shaping early American life and values. Looking at the middle and southern colonies as well as at Puritan New England, Bonomi finds an abundance of religious vitality through the colonial years among clergy and churchgoers of diverse religious background. The book also explores the tightening relationship between religion and politics and illuminates the vital role religion played in the American Revolution. A perennial backlist title first published in 1986, this updated edition includes a new preface on research in the field on African Americans, Indians, women, the Great Awakening, and Atlantic history and how these impact her interpretations.
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"A splendid overview of the topic of religion in the colonial period. The book is gracefully and economically written, provocative yet respectful of opposing views.... Goes far toward providing a genuinely balanced account of the role of religion in the formation of the American mind." --William and Mary Quarterly
About the Author
Patricia U. Bonomi is at New York University (Emerita).
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Answers many questions about religion and politics pre-Revolution,
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This review is from: Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America (Paperback)
On p. 102, we find that the title of this book is part of a quotation of a sermon of Cotton Mather in 1713.
In general, i found this book loaded with insights surrounding the question of to what extent (very) the colonies were (Protestant Christian) religious prior to the Revolution, and how much this contributed to the onset of the events which brought about the Revolution (a lot.) Two of these events were the possible advent of an Anglican bishop to the colonies, and the role of the Great Awakening as a spur to the Revolution. The colonists were mostly dissenters from Anglicanism, except for Virginia, and looked upon the imposition of a bishop as just another sign of the increasing domination from the mother country. The Great Awakening spoke to the individual's sense of faith, as opposed to its corporate dimension, and thus contributed to the proverbial American individualism. On p. 72, Bonomi cites the fact that Congregational congregations tripled from 1700-1750, thus downplaying any suggestion of religious decline. Reading Bonomi's anecdotes, the French proverb 'plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose' came to mind. So many of the trends which we believe are original to current church life, were present in colonial church life. Some of these were: not wanting ministers traveling around with no credentials, people in and out of church during the service, sleeping during sermons, almost every bride pregnant at the time of the wedding (p. 60,) and in the average congregation, 3/4 of folks in church were women. This book is well worth your time, written in a pleasant style.
5 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book,
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This review is from: Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America (Paperback)
This book is very informative about religion and politics in the colonial period of United States history, up to the Revolution. It is very in-depth and contains citations for everything.
1 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
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This review is from: Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America (Kindle Edition)
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The skylines of our eastern cities in, say, 1760 were in their way just as striking as they are now, perhaps more so. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
presbytery minutes, church adherence, colonial clergy, colonial religion, proprietary party, church separations, colonial years, church rates, vital religion Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New England, New York, Great Awakening, Middle Colonies, New Jersey, South Carolina, American Revolution, Old Light, German Reformed, Old World, Henry Muhlenberg, Dutch Reformed, Gilbert Tennent, New Side, New World, Presbyterian Church, Cotton Mather, Old Side, General Court, Log College, North Carolina, Stamp Act, Philip Fithian, Yearly Meeting, John Adams New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The skylines of our eastern cities in, say, 1760 were in their way just as striking as they are now, perhaps more so. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
presbytery minutes, church adherence, colonial clergy, colonial religion, proprietary party, church separations, colonial years, church rates, vital religion Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New England, New York, Great Awakening, Middle Colonies, New Jersey, South Carolina, American Revolution, Old Light, German Reformed, Old World, Henry Muhlenberg, Dutch Reformed, Gilbert Tennent, New Side, New World, Presbyterian Church, Cotton Mather, Old Side, General Court, Log College, North Carolina, Stamp Act, Philip Fithian, Yearly Meeting, John Adams New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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77
books
cite this book:
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- The Present State Of Virginia (Notable American Authors) by Hugh Jones on 4 pages
- Forming of an American Tradition (Select Bibliographies Reprint) by Leonard J. Trinterud in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Democracy in America (Signet Classics) by Alexis de Tocqueville in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Independent Reflector: Or, Weekly Essays on Sundry Important Subjects More Particularly Adapted to the Province of New York. and others (John Harvard Library) by William Livingston on page 196, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Meeting House and Counting House: The Quaker Merchants of Colonial Philadelphia 1682-1763 by Frederick B. Tolles on page 222, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 100 books this book cites
- Becoming America: The Revolution before 1776 by Jon Butler on 4 pages
- Becoming German: The 1709 Palatine Migration to New York by Philip Otterness on page 207, and Back Matter
- A Perfect Babel of Confusion: Dutch Religion and English Culture in the Middle Colonies (Religion in America) by Randall Balmer in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Old Religion in a New World: The History of North American Christianity by Mark A. Noll on page 57, and Back Matter
- A Dutch Family in the Middle Colonies: 1660-1800 by Firth Haring Fabend in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 77 books citing this book
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