Methodism and Social Capital on the Southern Frontier, 1760-1830 Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Matthew Hunter Price, M.A. Graduate Program in History The Ohio State University 2014 Dissertation Committee: Alan Gallay, Advisor John L. Brooke Randolph A. Roth Copyright by Matthew Hunter Price 2014 Abstract This dissertation explores the formation of social capital and middle-class culture on the revolutionary frontier. As a lens, I use Methodism, an evangelical movement rooted in the British colonial period that flourished in the American Revolutionary Era and by the Civil War accounted for one in three American church members. Methodism was more than the fastest growing major religious movement in early American history. Combining social theory with manuscript, print, and demographic sources, I argue that Methodism, by circulating itinerants and founding religious societies, was a powerful force for creating social and political capital. My study is the first to appraise Methodism’s role in the development of settler colonialism in the Old Southwest and the southerly regions of the Old Northwest. My research uncovers practices of social exchange and epistolary culture among Methodist men and women (who were the majority of members) to explain how Protestant Christianity transitioned from a discursive role—as a justification for indigenous dispossession—to a technique for possession. Methodism engendered social networks, disseminated knowledge, and aided pursuits of land development and ii commerce among middling settlers. These benefits of religious association were valuable social and economic resources, and they preceded the formal evangelical politics of the late antebellum era. They were the soil from which grassroots evangelical political power grew. My research makes three main contributions. It intercedes in the debate on social capital in American society from a historical perspective. Addressing a dearth of historical analyses of social capital formation, it also provides a major assessment of social networks within the most dynamic popular movement of the first half of the nineteenth century. Whereas popular supporters and critics of the social capital thesis often align according to their philosophical embrace of communitarianism or individualism, I show that these categories are historically inseparable, as Euro- American settlers built societies in the West and reaped the benefits of individual and collective social capital to lay the foundation for a middle-class order. Second, my approach bridges an impasse in the historiographical debate on the Second Great Awakening: that is, whether popular evangelicalism democratized American culture. Scholars on one side of the debate have marshaled evidence of anti-elite ideology while others have focused on divisions according to race, class, and gender. Through Methodism I argue that evangelical networks allowed white middling settlers to weaken existing social hierarchies at the very time that they built new ones. Finally, my interpretation centers religion in the search for the origins of the southern middle class, a field currently among the most energetic in southern history. Rather than democratization or its opposite, the Methodists laid the foundation for the emergence iii of a nineteenth-century middle class of settlers who molded southern and western society according to their principles. iv Acknowledgments Good historians speak often of their debts, and I have learned why. This dissertation is the fruit of many labors. In writing it, I have benefited from the support of several institutions. The Department of History at Ohio State University has been an excellent place to learn to read, write, and teach— the three legs that support the work of history. The department offers generous funding, which has allowed this project to develop. In addition to teaching opportunities, I am grateful for summer funding from the Retrieving the American Past project, the Bradley Foundation, and the Joseph H. Lynch Award for the History of Christianity. I was especially honored to receive the latter reward, which commemorates a scholar whom I very much admired, though I did not know him well. Joseph Lynch embodied enthusiasm, humor, and intelligence, and I take him as a model. The Graduate School at Ohio State provided several short-term grants for research and presentations. The Graduate School also provided a University Fellowship for my first year of advanced study and a Presidential Fellowship for my last. Farther from the Oval (and the Shoe), the Tennessee Historical Society (Nashville, TN), the Filson Historical Society (Louisville, KY), the American Antiquarian Society v (Worcester, MA), and the University of Chicago Libraries supported my research at important stages. I have been pleased along the way to work with—rather, to be rescued from ignorance by—the staff members of archives and historical societies. They represent the Tennessee Historical Society; the Filson Historical Society; the American Antiquarian Society; the Archives of Ohio Methodism at Ohio Wesleyan University; the Kentucky United Methodism Heritage Center at Kentucky Wesleyan College; the A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library, Southwestern University; the J. B. Cain Archives of Mississippi Methodism at Millsaps College; the Mississippi Department of Archives and History; the Bridwell Library at Southern Methodist University; John W. Dickhaut Library at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio; the Manuscripts, Archives, and Rare Books Library, Emory University; the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center; the Regenstein Library at the University of Chicago; and the United Methodist History Center at Drew University. Through the course of writing this dissertation, I have had the help of a number of historians. My greatest debt in that regard is to the members of my dissertation committee. Randolph Roth inspired me from my first days at Ohio State. He has taught me to think critically about the past and the writing of history, and he has been the model for my own approach to teaching students about the development of American society. At a crucial moment, his spouse, Allison, helped to keep things on track—a surprise to no one and a testament to vi the kind of support I have received here. John Brooke once told me that he believed Ohio State was the place for me. I have trusted his judgment ever since. He has pushed me, and many others, to think about the early American republic in the subtlest of ways. Both he and Randy Roth have led me by example to see a much larger historical context. That has been a source of considerable motivation. I cannot imagine a stronger and more supportive set of mentors than I found at OSU. Much of that is due to my dissertation advisor Alan Gallay. Alan sets a high bar, which I have not reached, but he does so with such good cheer and encouragement that I have not regretted my failures. He has taught me to respect the subjects of my research and to approach history boldly. I prefer not to remember how I wrote before I knew him, and ironically I cannot well describe my debts to him now. Other historians who had little incentive to help my career have, in fact, been of great value. At Ohio State, they have included Paula Baker, whose insights are somehow both casual and daunting; John Burnham, who simply delights in new knowledge; and Kenneth Andrien, who is a model of organization and rigor. David Staley was a wonderful boss and is a better friend. Andrew Cayton and Kristofer Ray have supported me with feedback on writing and recommendations for funding and employment. I hope to continue learning from all of them. Columbus, it turns out, was an excellent place to make great friends. Brian and Carrie Feltman have given me hospitality, advice, and vii encouragement since my first year. I imagine they have learned that I will overstay my welcome with them, and I plan to for some time. Gabriel Klehr moved to town at just the right time and helped to distract me from Methodists (even if it was only for Baptists). Mark Boonshoft appeared in my department and unintentionally showed me how little I knew about early America. Gabe and Mark read a part of the dissertation at an important moment. Lawrence Bowdish, Greg Kupsky, and Dustin Kemper were my seniors in the program, and their contributions cannot be appropriately expressed here. Matt Foulds and I have traveled with the Methodists for a long time. I was fortunate that he outpaced me in our work. This dissertation is the product of collaboration with him, for whenever I had a new idea, I broached it with him before putting it onto paper. He is a first-rate student of music and history. Louis and Lincoln Patterson have shown the least concern for my writing, which has been a huge help. Finally, Lindsey Patterson mistakenly attached herself to this study, but it has improved from her many readings and her willingness to speak for the crowd (“Yeah, I don’t get it”). I am not sure why she chooses to remain connected to it, but that is fine. Historians become used to questions they cannot answer. Through it all, and for some time past, my mother, Mary Ann Mills, has supported me. Her patience is a mystery but an example. I cannot repay it—I cannot even repay the meals that she still insists on buying. She would viii find it odd to hear, but whenever I found the going tough, I would just think of her example