Description
Book SynopsisWe know plenty about the Patriots' cause in the American Revolution. But what about the one-third of the population who opposed independence? Their position is largely missing from our understanding of Revolution-era American political thought. With
God against the Revolution, Gregg L. Frazer seeks to close this gap.
Trade ReviewGod against the Revolution is a well-researched account of the published writings of Protestant Christian ministers who opposed the American Revolution. Frazer helpfully organizes the arguments of clerical Loyalists into five pertinent categories: arguments from Scripture, from reason, from law, from the contemporary situation, and in response to the actions of colonial patriots who promoted the revolution. The book argues persuasively that Loyalist appeals to these various authorities and in response to contemporary developments proceeded from learned, thoughtful, and morally upright spokesmen whose voices now deserve the hearing they were for the most part denied two centuries ago." - Mark Noll, author of
In the Beginning Was the Word: The Bible in American Public Life, 1492-1783"Because history is often a tale told by the winners, there have been many studies of Patriot clergymen who preached a blend of Protestantism and Whig republicanism to support the revolutionary cause. There have been far fewer examinations of how they were answered from Loyalist pulpits. Frazer's study offers the fullest and most systematic analysis of the Loyalist clergymen's biblical, theoretical, legal, and rational arguments against the American rebellion. It is an important contribution to the religious and intellectual history of the revolutionary era." - Christopher Grasso, professor of history, College of William and Mary
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- 1. The Context for the Loyalist Argument
- 2. Biblical Arguments
- 3. Theoretical Arguments from the Nature of Government
- 4. Legal Arguments
- 5. Rational Arguments Regarding the American Situation
- 6. Rational Arguments Based on Colonial Actions
- Epilogue
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
