Description
Book SynopsisWhile much has been written about race in early America, scholars have generally focused on the southern colonies in the 18th century. Here, Bailey turns his gaze northward and to an earlier period.
Trade ReviewBeautifully researched and engagingly written, Speaking American breaks new ground in showing, city by city, the complex human forces that have given American English its individual character and vitality. It will become required reading for anyone interested in the history of English. * David Crystal, author of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language and Words in Time and Place *
A stimulating read...Bailey's first book is ambitious and shows a scholar sensitive to irony, contradiction, despair, and hope. I look forward to the next one. * Journal of American Ethnic History *
Provocative...Readers will find in Race and Redemption much to ponder in the tragic history of race in early America. * Themelios *
An important contribution to our understanding of the intersections of race and religion in colonial New England. ... A well-researched book that illuminates aspects of the Puritan experience that have not received significant attention before this. ... Essential reading for specialists in Puritanism. * H-Net *
Fascinating. ... I recommend it most highly to anyone interested in Edwards, Edwards' world, and its socio-cultural legacies. * Douglas A. Sweeney, Director, Jonathan Edwards Center, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: "Neither Bond Nor Free": New Englanders, Race, and Redemption ; 1 Laying the Foundation for "a Citty upon a Hill": Faith, Works, Covenant, and Colonialism ; 2 When Image Unmakes the Man: The Consequences of Thinking about the Colors and Capabilities of "Others" ; 3 "I am come into the light: Confessions of Faith, Sermons, and Ventriloquism ; 4 "We are not to make Asses of our Servants": Exercising Authority over New Englanders of Color ; 5 "The art of coyning Christians": Redeeming Self and "Others" in Puritan New England ; Epilogue: The Happy Day Refuses to Come
