1783-1815: Religion: Publications

Hannah Adams, Alphabetical Compendium of the Various Sects (Boston: Printed by B. Edes & Sons, 1784)—early U.S. example of comparative religious history;

Adams, The History of the Jews, 2 volumes (Boston: J. Eliot Jr., 1812)—largely sympathetic account of Judaism, including U.S. Jews, for a Protestant audience;

Ethan Allen, Reason the Only Oracle of Man (Bennington, Vt.: Printed by Haswell & Russell, 1784)—deist tract by a Revolutionary War hero;

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, An Address to the Christian Public (Boston: Printed by Samuel T. Armstrong, 1811)—manifesto justifying early foreign missionary efforts;

Isaac Backus, A Door Opened for Equal Christian Liberty, and No Man Can Shut It (Boston: Printed for the author and sold by Philip Freeman, 1783)—sermon supporting religious freedom;

Hosea Ballou, A Treatise on Atonement (Randolph, Vt.: Printed by Sereno Wright, 1805)—treatise on univer-salism;

Lyman Beecher, The Remedy for Duelling (Sag Harbor, N.Y.: Printed by Alden Spooner, 1807)—early example of the moral reform literature produced by Beecher and other evangelicals;

Thomas Belsham, American Unitarianism (Boston: Printed by Nathaniel Willis, 1815)—published by Jedidiah Morse, this biography included letters from Boston liberals about religion and became part of a pamphlet war about Unitarianism in the United States;

Thomas Campbell and others, Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington (Washington, Pa.: Printed by Brown & Sample, 1809)—a formative document of the Disciples of Christ, an evangelical group that mixed Christian and democratic features on the frontier;

John Carroll, Address to the Roman Catholics of the United States of America (Annapolis, Md.: Printed by F. Green, 1784)—defense of Catholics against charges of being unpatriotic and less than Christian;

William Ellery Channing, Elements of Religion and Morality in the Form of a Catechism (Boston: Printed by John Eliot, 1813)—early Unitarian catechism for use by children;

Channing, A Letter to the Rev. Samuel C. Thacher: on the Aspersions Contained in a Late Number of the Panoplist (Boston: Printed and published by Wells & Lilly, 1815)—a defense of liberal religion and part of the pamphlet war over Unitarianism;

Constantin-François Chasseboeuf, Comte de Vol-ney, The Ruins: or A Survey of the Revolutions of Empires (New York: William A. Davis, 1796)—first American edition of the popular rationalist work, attacking the clergy as tyrants set on destroying free society;

Charles Chauncy, The Benevolence of the Deity (Boston: Printed by Powars & Willis, 1784)—early universalist tract by a leading Boston minister;

Chauncy, The Mystery Hid from Ages and Generations (London: C. Dilly, 1784)—a universalist tract;

Lorenzo Dow, History of a Cosmopolite (New York: Printed by John C. Totten, 1814)—systematic defense of camp meeting techniques by an early leader of U.S. Methodism;

Samuel Hopkins, Memoirs of the Life of Mrs. Sarah Osborn (Worcester, Mass.: Leonard Worcester, 1799)—model account of female piety;

Hopkins, The System of Doctrines (Boston: Isaiah Thomas & Ebenezer T. Andrews, 1793)—survey of orthodox Congregational theology by a leading orthodox minister;

Hopkins, A Treatise on the Millennium (Boston: Isaiah Thomas & Ebenezer T. Andrews, 1793)—a short book about the coming end of the world;

Abner Jones, Memoirs of the Life and Experience, Travels and Preaching of Abner Jones (Exeter, N.H.: Printed by Norris & Sawyer, 1807)—autobiography of a minister noted for mixing republicanism and revivalism;

Jesse Lee, A Short History of the Methodists (Baltimore: Magill & Clime, 1810)—first official history of U.S. Methodism, describing its quick growth into one of the largest U.S. denominations;

James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance (Worcester, Mass.: Printed by Isaiah Thomas, 1786)—reprint of Madison’s legislative argument promoting Jefferson’s Bill for Religious Freedom in Virginia;

John M. Mason, The Voice of Warning, to Christians, on the Ensuing Election of a President of the United States (New York: Printed and sold by G. F. Hopkins, 1800)—example of the religious attacks on Thomas Jefferson during the 1800 presidential election;

Methodist General Conference, Form of Discipline for the Ministers, Preachers, and other Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America (Philadelphia: Printed by Charles Cist, 1785)—first edition of the basic collection of rules and rituals for U.S. Methodists;

James O’Kelly, The Author’s Apology for Protesting against the Methodist Episcopal Government (Richmond, Va.: John Dixon, 1798)—attack by a former Methodist on the hierarchical structure of that church as undemocratic and un-Christian;

Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason (Part I, New York: Printed by T. & J. Swords for J. Fellows, 1794; Part II, Philadelphia: Printed by Benjamin Franklin Bache for the author, 1776)—deist treatise by the author of Common Sense;

Joseph Priestley, Discourses on the Evidence of Revealed Religion (London: J. Johnson, 1794)—sermons on rationalism and religion, which influenced Thomas Jefferson’s religious thinking;

Priestley, Socrates and Jesus Compared (Philadelphia: Printed for P. Byrne, 1803)—discussion of rational religion, emphasizing Jesus as a moral teacher;

Benjamin Rush, Thoughts Upon Female Education (Philadelphia: Prichard & Hall, 1787)—address about women’s political and religious calling to be the moral guardians of society;

Thomas Scott, ed., The Holy Bible … with Original Notes, Practical Observations, and Copious Marginal References (Philadelphia, 1804–1809)—first U.S. version of one of the most popular family Bibles of the nineteenth century;

Elias Smith, The Loving Kindness of God Displayed in the Triumph of Republicanism in America (N.p., 1809)—revivalist’s account of egalitarianism and religion;

Ezra Stiles, The United States Elevated to Glory and Honor (New Haven, Conn.: Printed by Thomas & Samuel Green, 1783)—Connecticut election sermon by the president of Yale College, describing an “American Israel” which could lead a worldwide moral reformation;

Barton W. Stone and others, The Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery (N.p., 1808)—early statement of principles by the Disciples of Christ;

Nathan Strong and others, comp., The Hartford Selection of Hymns (Hartford, Conn.: Printed by John Babcock, 1799)—anthology of more than 350 hymns for public and private devotions, prompted by an increased interest in sacred songs connected to the revivals of the 1790s;

Chloe Willey, A Short Account of the Life of … Mrs. Chloe Willey (Amherst, N.H.: Printed by Joseph Cushing, 1807)—early women’s conversion narrative;

John Witherspoon, The Works of the Rev. John Wither-spoon (Philadelphia: Printed and published by William W. Woodward, 1800–1801)—works by the president of Princeton College, including his lectures on moral philosophy and religion, which expressed a natural and rational religion within a Calvinistic framework;

Samuel Worcester, ed., The Christian Mourning with Hope. A Sermon … on Occasion of the Death of Mrs. Eleanor Emerson … to which are Annexed Writings of Mrs. Emerson, with a Brief Sketch of her Life (Boston: Lincoln & Edmands, 1809)—early example of a Christian biography meant as a model for other women;

Benjamin Seth Youngs, comp., Millennial Praises (Hancock, Mass.: Printed by Josiah Talcott Jr., 1813)—collection of 140 Shaker hymns;

Youngs, The Testimony of Christ’s Second Appearing (Lebanon, Ohio: John M’Clean, 1808)—early Shaker theological treatise.