Description
Book SynopsisExamines sermons preached at national thanksgiving celebrations to show in detail what it meant to be properly British in the period. This book is the first concentrated study of almost 600 sermons from over forty national thanksgivings in Britain during the long eighteenth century. These included celebrations of the 'Glorious' Revolution, the Union of Englandand Scotland, the Hanoverian succession, and the numerous military successes stretching from the reigns of William and Mary and Queen Anne to the Battle of Waterloo. Preachers used such occasions to reinforce ideas associated with Britain and being British during a significant period of national growth. Although the thanksgiving ceremonies were instigated through royal order, and accompanied by prescribed liturgies, the composition and delivery of sermons by clergymen in thousands of churches resulted in numerous and diverse expressions on developments within British society across a period of over 125 years. Topics included assertions about Britain's favoured position in the world, perceptions of the growth of empire, ideas on the impact of war and of peace, views on the effects of commerce and trade, opinions on politics, responses to religious and cultural diversity, and reactions to the French Revolution. The sermons were written by ministers from across England, as well as some from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and colonial North America. In addition to those from Anglican pulpits, many of the sermons were by dissenting ministers.Overall, the book presents a vast array of information from a wide range of viewpoints, demonstrating how prominent national commemorations were used by preachers to convey compelling ideas about Britain and Britons from 1689 to1816.
Trade ReviewWarren Johnston's National Thanksgivings is an empirically rich and well-written study of political preaching in eighteenth-century Britain. * THE JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY *
A valuable contribution to a fuller understanding of the early modern British agenda. It highlights the importance of religious ceremonies as indicators of British psyche. The most hauntingly interesting chapter is "Others and Britons", where Johnston talks about the concept of the Other in the thanksgiving sermons, with various examples ranging from the French to Native Americans and Africans. * JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIES *
Table of ContentsNotes on elements of the text List of general thanksgiving days Introduction Sermons and thanksgiving-day sermons in the long eighteenth century Thanksgiving-day sermons - purposes and meanings 'The Palladium of our Safety' - Providence and Britain Political theory and principles 'This Carping Age' - the politics of unity and discord War Costs of war and consequences of peace Commerce and Empire Anglicanism, dissent, anti-Catholicism, and infidelity Others and Britons Conclusion Appendix A: Preachers' and sermon details Appendix B: Denominational breakdown of thanksgiving-day-preachers Appendix C: Main scriptural texts used for thanksgiving-day sermons Bibliography of primary sources: Thanksgiving-day sermons - by date preached Bibliography of secondary sources
