The Business Model of Unitarian and Congregational Religious Societies in Northern New England, 1790-1850
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University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Spring 2021 Pews, Proprietors, and Plutocracy: The Business Model of Unitarian and Congregational Religious Societies in Northern New England, 1790-1850 Amy Beth Smith University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Smith, Amy Beth, "Pews, Proprietors, and Plutocracy: The Business Model of Unitarian and Congregational Religious Societies in Northern New England, 1790-1850" (2021). Doctoral Dissertations. 2595. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/2595 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Pews, Proprietors, and Plutocracy: The Business Model of Unitarian and Congregational Religious Societies in Northern New England, 1790-1850 BY Amy Beth Smith B.A., Saint Joseph’s College, 1999 M.S. Ed., University of Southern Maine, 2003 M.A., University of New Hampshire, 2015 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History May, 2021 All RIGHTS RESERVED © 2021 Amy Beth Smith ii iii This dissertation has been examined and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.D. in History by: Dissertation Director, Jessica M. Lepler, Associate Professor of History Lucy Salyer, Professor of History Cynthia Van Zandt, Associate Professor of History David Bachrach, Professor of History Michael C. Connolly, Professor Emeritus of History, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine On April 14, 2021 Original approval signatures are on file with the University of New Hampshire Graduate School. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………… VI DEDICATION………………………………………………………………. X ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………… XI CHAPTER PAGE INTRODUCTION 1 ONE: Plutocracy and the Power of the Pew 18 TWO: Hard Times: The Long Panic of 1819 78 THREE: Duties of the Times: The Turbulent 1830s 111 FOUR: “Ambition’s Airy Hall” : Black Abolitionists, God, and Mammon in 175 19th Century Portland, Maine FIVE: Financial Operations of Religious Corporations in the Early Republic 207 SIX: Religious Societies as Corporations in the Early Republic 264 CONCLUSION: 314 BIBLIOGRAPHY: 324 v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The most important lesson I have ever learned in my life is to surround oneself with good people. I took this lesson to heart a long time ago and I am proud to say that I have accomplished this in spades. It is entirely due to the people in my life that I am who I am today and I am ever grateful. This endeavor would never have been possible without the support of my dissertation committee and the entire History Department. I knew from a very early age that I wanted to be a teacher, especially once I learned that a career as a tap dancing Rockette was likely impossible due to a very strict height requirement. Throughout my education, I carefully observed my teachers, taking note of what made them effective, or what mistakes to avoid when I someday entered the profession. Ultimately, I concluded effective teaching requires rapport with students, enthusiasm for and knowledge of the subject matter, high expectations, and clear communication. Often teachers are academics and experts in their fields who push the thinking of their students or they are easily able to establish relationships with students. It is rare to find someone who does both. When I first entered the M.A. program at UNH I registered for a class on the Early Republic with Dr. Lepler and it did not take me long to realize she is a true gem. Professor Lepler absolutely inspired me with her enthusiasm for the Early Republic. It is truly her love for the Early Republic that sparked my passion for the same era. Her lectures and assignments pushed me to think more deeply and in her role as my dissertation director Dr. Lepler helped me to develop my skills as a historian in immeasurable ways. What is most vi important about her though, is her genuine concern for her students. She worried about and supported me to the point where no words would ever truly suffice to express my gratitude. Where most students should consider themselves lucky to have one such educator in their lives, I can count myself lucky to have more. Dr. Lucy Salyer challenged me in Modern American history and her sharp eye and astute mind undoubtedly inspired me to become a better historian. Professor Salyer consistently nudged me to answer the ever important, “So What?” question in an attempt to push me to explain the significance of my research. This question, among others, and the feedback provided on each iteration of my chapters encouraged me to think critically and helped develop my abilities as a writer. Like Professor Lepler, Professor Salyer also worried about me and supported every endeavor. I am truly grateful to have worked under the guidance of two women who are brilliant historians, skilled educators, and most importantly, good people. Much thanks are also due to Professor David Bachrach, whose class I was fortunate enough to register for during my first semester at the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Bachrach is adept at provoking deep conversations in his class and his expectations pushed me to become a better student. Perhaps most importantly, Professor Bachrach helped me to realize that events are rarely monocausal and that conclusions do not always have to rely on one explanation or another. It can be, and often is, a little of both. I first met Professor Cynthia Van Zandt in my class on Early American history and it is her to whom I owe my knowledge of the Colonial Era. Dr. Van Zandt challenged me to think broadly and thematically, and to see patterns where I did not before. Her expectations were rigorous but fair and she pushed me to work harder, particularly in thinking about American historiography. vii Likewise, a great deal of gratitude is owed to Dr. Michael C. Connolly. I first met Michael in 1995 as an undergraduate student at Saint Joseph’s College in Maine. His classes were so engaging and informative that by the time I graduated, I had taken five of them. It is largely due to him that I pursued a career as a historian. Throughout the years, Michael has been a source of unwavering support, helping me to gain admission to graduate school, pushing me to complete my dissertation, and aiding me in obtaining employment at Saint Joseph’s College. I am proud to call him both a mentor and a friend. I am also happy to express my thanks to Dr. Jeff Bolster. Professor Bolster taught me how to combine intellectual, economic and social history and how to be a better writer. My chapter on the Abyssinian Church was written largely under his direction. I am grateful for his guidance and expertise while working on this project. The History Department and the Graduate School at the University of New Hampshire provided invaluable financial assistance, which allowed me to pursue this endeavor. The Graduate School offered a generous tuition scholarship as well as travel funding. Additionally, the History Department provided travel funds through the Anita and Darrett Rutman Dissertation Fellowship, the Angelo Kontarinis History Fund, and the Steelman Fellowship. These funds greatly enabled my ability to travel to far-flung archives without enduring economic hardship. I owe a great deal to my children, Brady and Cole. They cheered me on, tolerated my days of wearing headphones (to provide a semblance of quiet while I worked), and helped pick up the slack on the homefront. They endured long car rides throughout New England while traveling to archives, and more than their fair share of macaroni and cheese for dinner when I was busy writing papers. Brady and Cole even quietly colored while attending Professor Van Zandt’s class with me on one occasion when daycare was closed. There were many times when I viii struggled in this program and thought of quitting. They helped to remind me why I was doing this and it was their encouragement that got me through. There is no possible way to completely express my gratitude to my husband Tom, but this is my best attempt. I believe there is a moment in every person’s life, which alters it forever. Meeting him was my moment. Quite simply, since the day I met him, he inspired me to be a better person. Had I not met him, my life would not be nearly as full as it is today. Much of this project belongs to him, for without him it never would have been completed. While I worked on this he served as a jack of all trades-driver to distant archives, master chef and dishwasher, unglorified editor of many, many, papers, carrier of books, and steadfast supporter. But he is at his best in his roles as husband and father. For all the people I have surrounded myself with, he is by far my best choice. I could not love him more. ix To Tom, Brady, and Cole My Very Own “Trident of Truth” x ABSTRACT Pews, Proprietors, and Plutocracy: The Business Model of Unitarian and Congregational Religious Societies in Northern New England, 1790-1850 by Amy Beth Smith University of New Hampshire, May 2021 This dissertation examines Unitarian and Congregational religious societies in northern New England port cities from 1790-1850 and argues that pew proprietorship created a plutocracy, which resulted in the development of a corporate character for Protestant churches and a prioritization of secular over theological concerns.