Customer Reviews

The Way of Improvement Leads Home: Philip Vickers Fithian and the Rural Enlightenment in Early America (Early American Studies) (Early American Studies)

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Through the brilliant writing of Dr. John Fea, I was introduced to a topic that is always briefly mentioned but never flushed out in most high school history classrooms: the Enlightenment. This movement of ideas consisted of much more than the traditional Europeans one thinks of (Locke, Voltaire); rather; the Enlightenment was a trans-Atlantic movement that spread from European countries to their colonies worldwide. Philip Vickers Fithian, a country boy born and raised in rural New Jersey prior to the American Revolution, comes face to face with these new and exciting ideas and chooses to step away from the family farm.

Perhaps the greatest lesson of Philip's life is the tension in which the Enlightenment ideas which he encounters at Princeton co-exists with his loyalty to his native land. Philip, after experiencing a call from God, plans to become a preacher under the tutelage of one of British America's greatest intellectuals, John Witherspoon. Philip comes to embody the Enlightenment in British America: a shift from narrowly-focused parochialism to a universal love of humanity, a conscientious effort to control one's emotions and "passions", and a desire to improve not only oneself but society at large.

Through the diaries left behind by Philip Vickers Fithian, John Fea has afforded his readers the opportunity to step back into the past and understand what it was like when Enlightenment thinking meshed with Protestant Christianity. I appreciate this book because of the lessons which it offers to those who seek self-improvement still today. Fea allows his readers to live with the tension. Philip, a man who wanted to control his passions, destroyed another couple's relationship because he could never let go of his love for Betsy (his childhood crush). Philip, an enlightened man who should have felt at home anywhere in the world, was always anxious to come back to Cohansey when given the opportunity. Philip, the minister who desired to love all humanity as equal members of God's family, joined the Continental Army as a chaplain to perform a patriotic duty for his country.

This biography of Philip Vickers Fithian successfully portrays what history is all about: the study of the past and the flawed, imperfect human beings who lived it. This is a must read for anyone who wants to know more about the past, especially early American history, religious history, or simply a well-constructed and thoroughly-researched narrative. The Enlightenment was not a Europeans-only movement. Its influence spread to the Americas and influenced the lives of thousands. Many of whom, including Philip Vickers Fithian and John Witherspoon, would rally behind the cause of liberty to establish the United States of America.

This is a remarkable book. Fea seeks to show how an ordinary, albeit well-educated, American from a rural farming background actually lived the ideals of the Enlightenment: how he blended moral reasoning with his deeply held Presbyterian faith, how he balanced the competing claims of cosmopolitanism and localism, how he cultivated his taste for enlightened conversation and morally uplifting society even when stranded in remote rural pulpits. "Philip's story," writes Fea, "teaches us that the abstract, urban, and elite-centered republic of letters that has so captivated early American historians over the past two decades had a real impact on individual human experience" (211).

While this is, in a broad sense, a study of how Americans lived the Enlightenment, it is also, in a narrower sense, a biography of Philip Vickers Fithian, Presbyterian minister and army chaplain. Fithian died before he reached his thirtieth birthday; his importance lies not so much in what he accomplished in his lifetime as in the intensity with which he chronicled it. Most students of early America are familiar primarily with Fithian's journal of the year he spent as a tutor on Robert Carter's Virginia estate; Fea demonstrates that Fithian's journals and letters from his college years and his early years in the ministry are equally rich. I found the chapters on Fithian's education at Green Hall and the College of New Jersey (Princeton) and on his preaching tours of the Pennsylvania and Virginia backcountry particularly illuminating.

Fea skims over some essential biographical details (I had a hard time locating the date of Fithian's birth, and his siblings are introduced rather late in the book). But he excels in his meticulous treatment of Fithian's career and his inner intellectual and religious life. Fea's introductory analysis of the Enlightenment is stellar, too-- truly a model of how the topic ought to be taught. Highly recommended for readers who are interested in religious and cultural life in eighteenth-century America and/or in how Enlightenment ideas filtered down to middling people in any part of the Western world.

John Fea's "The Way of Improvement Leads Home" is a lively, thoughtful and informative account of colonial American Philip Vickers Fithian's life as a Presbyterian minister, a Revolutionary War soldier, and a human being struggling with the paradox of being enlightened and yet bound to a sense of place. Fea's narrative is scholarly but also story-driven. His book's overarching theme - the spiritual tension between self-improvement's rootless nature and traditional society's rootedness - has wonderful implications of what "place" means, a concept that needs to be addressed all the more in commodified and homogenized, and altogether rootless 21st-century America. In "The Way of Improvement," Fithian emerges from the pages as an American to glean much from, a spirited figure who valiantly balances self-improvement and "home".

In "The Way of Improvement Leads Home" I expected a history book that would simply add a piece to the puzzle of my favorite period in history - Early American. But it was much more than that. In addition to being an excellent example of the Colonial mindset, Philip Vickers Fithian's personal journey was simple yet awe-inspiring, a great example for the reader's own personal growth. The author's research, presentation and writing style make this an uplifting page-turner and an excellent read for history buffs and non-history buffs alike. I was sorry to see it end!

In "The Way of Improvement Leads Home," Dr. John Fea does a spectacular job in chronicling the life of an interesting and overlooked figure in early American history. Based on the diaries of Philip Vickers Fithian, Fea presents, with clarity and insight, the joys and difficulties throughout Fithians life as he left home to get an education, pursue the love of his life, and follow his call into ministry. Fea does this by thouroughly explaining the eighteenth-century context in which Fithian lived so the reader can fully understand the significance and difficulty of his decisions. Fea also gives great insight into Fithian's struggle to find the balance between staying connected to the home he loves while at the same time striving to become a global citizen.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in early American history because it is an academic, yet understandable look at the life of a lesser-known figure during the revolutionary period. Much has been written about early America's major figures, but in this book John Fea provides a unique view of a small-town Patriot and his journey during the "Rural Enlightenment." Fithian's story, and the way it is presented by Fea, is insightful, educational, and simply fascinating.

When we first picked up "The Way of Improvement Leads Home" we expected a straight forward biography about Philip Vickers Fithian. However, in the introduction, Dr. Fea says "...I have tried to remain as faithful as possible, with a few extended detours here and there, to the genre of biography....at a somewhat more analytical level, this book also attempts to use Phillip's story to explain the impact of the enlightenment in the British American colonies. As a result, I have chosen to leave Philip's story at certain points of the narrative in order to explore more fully the cultural and intellectual milieu in which he lived." This statement shows that Fea's intentions were not merely to trace the life of Fithian, but also to connect his life to greater themes within the rural enlightenment.

The strongest chapter of the book was chapter 3, entitled "Ambition." Dr. Fea successfully shows Philip's desire to leave his agrarian upbringing in the pursuit of enlightenment. We resonated with Philip's desire to improve himself holistically. As college students we can relate to his personal struggles. This chapter also provides the meat to Fea's argument that Philip was an example of how the enlightenment affected members of rural communities.

Another strength of this book is Dr. Fea's analysis of colonial religion, particularly that of the Presbyterians and Anglicans. Dr. Fea successfully connects Witherspoon's influence on Presbyterian minsters of the time and the interaction between nationalistic pride and religious sentiments
Dr. Fea successfully shows that Philip is an example of how Enlightenment ideals interacted with Christianity.

Even though this book does not focus on a major figure of the early Revolutionary period, Philip's life is worth studying because it offers a window into the daily life of an average colonist at this time. This books only weakness is that Dr. Fea sometimes attempts to connect Philip's life into too broad of a historical context. Sometimes this context takes away from, rather than contributes to the story of Philip's life.

"The Way of Improvement Leads Home" is a well written and informative look at the life of one of America's most interesting and often overlooked patriot and is well worth reading.

Soon, I will be teaching a one year history class to a group of men. The class incorporates my reading, research, reflection, and writing from the past twenty years. Every year I teach, I add new works to my course. Fea's brilliant book will be my recommendation for better understanding the Enlightenment's impact on early American history. It is extremely well written, models careful scholarship, and yet remains accessible for the general reader.

I highly recommend this book to readers interested in eighteenth century America. It is an enjoyable and compelling narrative as well as perceptive look at the most vital aspects of early American life: society, romantic relationships, political movements, religious faith, and the growing sense of nationalism in America in the 1770s.

This book is a great read for any historian or history buff. It should be considered for assigned reading in college classrooms on the colonial and revolutionary periods, and considered necessary reading for history graduate students. The author brilliantly uses the diary and letters from Philip Fithian's life to illustrate the social and political cross currents of the 1740s-1770s. Readers and students will appreciate the connections displayed by the experiences of this one man to the major issues of the period.

Insights abound in this volume. The author shows how Fithian and the "Princeton Circle" of which he was a part used Christianity to sanctify the Enlightenment and, in turn, how they used the Enlightenment to keep Evangelical Christianity in a reasonable balance between passion and cold orthodoxy. Fithian's life illustrates what the author calls the "rural enlightenment". This emphasis on local experience is one of the book's strongest contributions. "The Way of Improvement" also shows the complex interplay between the Enlightenment and Christianity that created, amongst some evangelicals, a Christianity more concerned with moral and social order in this world than otherworldly spirituality. Fithian's experiences occurred on the complicated fringe between evangelical and mainstream Christianity. People interested in religious history will appreciate this work.

Those who appreciate social history will also enjoy this book. Insights into community life in rural New Jersey, the Virginia and Pennsylvania backcountry, devotional and self-improvement societies, and political activist committees put into sharp relief just how people lived their lives in conversation with the broader Atlantic movements of the time. Friendship, courtship, and community are major themes throughout the book.

Ever present in the narrative is the compelling love story of Philip and his true love, Elizabeth. Philip, trained to be reserved but unable to control his emotions for Elizabeth nearly drives her into the arms of another suitor. Her reserved, always proper and pious approach to courtship compared with his effusive, romantic professions of emotion give revealing insights into eighteenth century love and courtship practices. The author provides revelations into the intersection of religion, intellectual currents, popular romance literature, and standards of propriety amongst the rural Presbyterian communities of New Jersey.

Read this book if you are interested in eighteenth century America in any way. It is a quick and engaging read strengthened by a compelling narrative and clear writing style.