
Born in Connecticut, Lemuel Haynes was first an indentured servant, then a soldier in the Continental Army, and, in 1785, an ordained congregational minister. Haynes's writings constitute the fullest record of a black man's religion, social thought, and opposition to slavery in the late-18th and early-19th century. Drawing on both published and rare unpublished sources, John Saillant here offers the first comprehensive study of Haynes and his thought.
This work investigates the intellectual and theological contributions of Lemuel Haynes, a prominent 18th-century black minister, to determine how his religious convictions shaped his political stance against slavery. John Saillant, a historian specializing in early American thought, utilizes a combination of Haynes's published sermons and rare archival documents to reconstruct the life of this unique figure. The book argues that Haynes’s identity as a Congregationalist minister provided the framework for his critique of racial inequality and his advocacy for republican ideals during the founding era of the United States.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Scholars recognize this text as a foundational study for understanding the intellectual history of black Americans in the early republic. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous examination of Haynes's complex theological arguments.
Page Count:
244
Publication Date:
2002-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190288981
ISBN-13:
9780190288983
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