Description
Book SynopsisWhile the political implications of the mapping of American expansion have been examined, this book explores the close and complex relationship between mapping and missionizing on the American frontier. Amy DeRogatis explores the struggles of those involved, from settlers to geographers.
Trade ReviewMoral Geography provides a much better guidebook to the region and its religion, and DeRogatis never lets us get lost, taking us along a scholarly path that seems both familiar and fresh at the same time. -- Gregory Nobles Journal of American History Interesting and innovative... Most readers ofMoral Geography will appreciate DeRogatis's attempt to 'read' material sources in seeking to understand the landscape of the Western Reserve. -- Lydia Huffman Hoyle Regster of the Kentucky Historical Society ...the brief narrative here does little justice to the nuanced deconstruction of maps, letters, biography, and travel literature that comprises the heart of DeRogatis's work. From close readings of these texts she has skillfully teased out a language in her sources... -- William H. Bergmann, University of Cincinnati Ohio History Moral Geography does a great service by introducing those who felt the tension between new and old orders. -- Kathleen Flake Journal of Religion Amy DeRogatis' sketch of moral geography on the American frontier has opened up a rich and fertile vein of scholarship. -- David N. Livingstone Books & Culture Innovative new study of the religious settlement of Connecticut's "Western Reserve."... A model of interdisciplinary scholarship, and her new study will enjoy wide readership. -- Douglas L. Winiarski Religious Studies Review
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Benevolent Design: Mapping the Landscape 2. Models of Piety: Protestant Missionaries on the Frontier 3. The Moral Garden of the Western World: Bodies, Towns, and Families 4. Geography Made Easy: Geographies and Travel Literature 5. A Beacon in the Wilderness: Moral Inscriptions on the Landscape Conclusion: Moral Geography
