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Political Piety: Evangelicals and the American Revolution in South Carolina and Georgia

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Political Piety: Evangelicals and the American Revolution in South Carolina and Georgia University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2009 POLITICAL PIETY: EVANGELICALS AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA David E. Hollingsworth University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Hollingsworth, David E., "POLITICAL PIETY: EVANGELICALS AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA" (2009). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 718. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/718 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION David E. Hollingsworth The Graduate School The University of Kentucky 2009 POLITICAL PIETY: EVANGELICALS AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA ___________________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION ___________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By David E. Hollingsworth Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Daniel Blake Smith, Professor of History Lexington, Kentucky 2009 Copyright © David E. Hollingsworth 2009 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION POLITICAL PIETY: EVANGELICALS AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA The study of southern evangelicals during the late colonial and revolutionary eras of American history has focused primarily on the social antagonisms that separated evangelicals from southern elites and has concluded that the rapid growth of post-war evangelicalism came as a result of evangelical acquiescence to southern gentry mores. Most study of southern evangelicals has concentrated on the upper South missing important developments in the Deep South which contradict historical assumptions of Separate triumph and the subsequent subversion of radical evangelicalism by evangelical leaders eager for societal acceptance. Evangelicals were not a monolithic movement. Key doctrines, primarily the need for conversion, united them, but the social range of evangelical groups included outcast Separate Baptists to elite members of Charleston and Savannah society. Because evangelicals have been viewed as outside the mainstream of southern society, evangelical contributions to the revolutionary cause have gone mostly unnoticed. This work seeks to illuminate the contributions of evangelicals to the American Revolution by examining the roles of evangelicals in the Imperial Crisis and in the war itself. Evangelical leaders were strong proponents of American rights. Far from being outcasts, many evangelicals enjoyed positions of prominence in southern society and several served in the governments of South Carolina and Georgia. Almost all evangelicals in this region supported the American cause and were viewed by many elite revolutionaries as indispensable to solidifying the unity necessary to fight Great Britain. Evangelicals and Anglican elites worked together to cement support for provincial government and bring about the disestablishment of the Anglican Church. Evangelicals also served an important role in winning the American Revolution in the South. Evangelicals, particularly New Light Presbyterians and Regular Baptists, formed a major portion of the militia that rose to bedevil Lord Cornwallis‟s attempts to implement British strategic goals. His failure in South Carolina led to his ultimate downfall at Yorktown. In the final chapter, this work examines the proud, if divided, republicanism of southern evangelicals, highlights their political activity, and explores the beginning of the evangelical ascent to religious dominance in the Deep South. KEYWORDS: Evangelicals, Baptists, Presbyterians, American Revolution, Republicanism David E. Hollingsworth April 16, 2009 POLITICAL PIETY: EVANGELICALS AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA By David E. Hollingsworth Dr. Daniel B. Smith, PhD Director of Dissertation ____Dr. David Hamilton_____ Director of Graduate Studies ___________April 16, 2009_______ RULES FOR THE USE OF DISSERTATIONS Unpublished dissertations submitted for the Doctor‟s degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgements. Extensive copying or publication of the dissertation in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. A library that borrows this dissertation for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user. Name Date ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ___ __________________________________________________________________ _ _ DISSERTATION David E. Hollingsworth The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2009 POLITICAL PIETY: EVANGELICALS AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA ______________________________ DISSERTATION ______________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By David E. Hollingsworth Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Daniel Blake Smith, Professor of History Lexington, Kentucky 2009 Copyright © David E. Hollingsworth 2009 To William E. Hollingsworth, a southern man who loved Jesus and me. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Along the path to the completion of my academic goals, I have had the help of a number of wonderful people. I must first thank some of my earliest college professors. Dr. Jack Fish always took the time to sit and talk to an ignorant eighteen-year old. Dr. Paul Taylor, my undergraduate advisor, taught me the importance of verbal excellence in the classroom and the power of personally caring for the students in one‟s charge. He and his wife, Mrs. Sueann Taylor, also took the time to become surrogate grandparents to my children while we lived in Lexington. I will always be grateful. Dr. Hubert van Tuyll gave much of his time in preparing and sending dozens of recommendation letters and served as a real encouragement each time I visited with him. The late Dr. Edward Cashin always courteously answered my questions regarding the southern backcountry. Dr. Thomas Nettles and Dr. John Woodbridge were great examples to me and provided any help I requested. Many folks at the University of Kentucky deserve special thanks. First, I would like to thank the History Department for allowing me the opportunity to pursue my doctorate. I am thankful for the scholarships and teaching assistantships provided. I am thankful for the leadership and encouragement offered by all of my professors. I must also thank Tina Hagee for her friendship and help in handling matters ranging from dissertation deadlines to letters of recommendation. I am particularly grateful to those members of the faculty who took me under their wings and guided me to successful completion of this dissertation. Of this group, I must first thank the late Dr. Lance Banning. The day he decided to take me as one of his students was one of the proudest days of my life. I will never forget his wit and wisdom. I must also thank his lovely wife, Mrs. Lana Banning. Though Dr. Banning had passed away and I had not yet completed my dissertation, she continued his tradition by rewarding my wife and I with the celebratory supper reserved for students who had completed their dissertations for him. That faith meant a lot to me. I cannot thank Dr. Daniel Smith enough for stepping into the void in my committee caused by the death of Dr. Banning. He was first my professor, then my mentor, now my friend. Though our views on life are different in most ways, he epitomizes for me the iii perfect mentor. If I ever get the chance to guide graduate research, I look forward to being someone else‟s Fenton. Dr. Philip Harling took time out of his incredibly busy schedule as interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences to sit on my committee. I would like to thank him particularly for allowing me the opportunity to structure reading classes in Eighteenth Century British history to fit my schedule. Dr. Shearer Davis Bowman taught perhaps the greatest class I took at the university. His Old South course has not been forgotten and will serve as a model for any future graduate courses I may teach. In addition, Dr. Bowman always gave of his time to engage my conversational and academic interests. We are both southerners who took different paths. I am thankful for his guidance even if I do
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