Although puritans in 17th-century New England lived alongside both Native Americans and Africans, the white New Englanders imagined their neighbors as something culturally and intellectually distinct from themselves. Legally and practically, they saw people of color as simultaneously human and less than human, things to be owned. Yet all of these people remained New Englanders, regardless of the color of their skin, and this posed a problem for puritans. In order to fulfill John Winthrop's dream of a "city on a hill," New England's churches needed to contain all New Englanders. To deal with this problem, white New Englanders generally turned to familiar theological constructs to redeem not only themselves and their actions (including their participation in race-based slavery) but also to redeem the colonies' Africans and Native Americans. Richard A. Bailey draws on diaries, letters, sermons, court documents, newspapers, church records, and theological writings to tell the story of the religious and racial tensions in puritan New England.

About the Author
Richard A. Bailey holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Kentucky. He is Assistant Professor of History at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York.

Reviews
Bailey is to be applauded for returning race and redemption in New England to the scholarly agenda. * Richard w. Pointer, American Historical Review. *
Beautifully researched and engagingly written, Speaking American breaks new ground in showing, city by city, the complex human forces that have given American English its individual character and vitality. It will become required reading for anyone interested in the history of English. * David Crystal, author of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language and Words in Time and Place *
Many times I've been able to get Gustie on the phone whenever I've found myself stuck and couldn't figure out how to conduct my way through a thorny passage. Now that I have his book, I'll still give him a try on the phone, but if I can't reach him, I'll know here I can get the answers I'm looking for. Thank you Gustie for sharing your vast knowledge of the the art of conducting with the world. * Your student, Bobby McFerrin. *
Provocative...Readers will find in Race and Redemption much to ponder in the tragic history of race in early America. * Themelios *
An important contribution to our understanding of the intersections of race and religion in colonial New England. ... A well-researched book that illuminates aspects of the Puritan experience that have not received significant attention before this. ... Essential reading for specialists in Puritanism. * H-Net *
Fascinating. ... I recommend it most highly to anyone interested in Edwards, Edwards' world, and its socio-cultural legacies. * Douglas A. Sweeney, Director, Jonathan Edwards Center, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195366594
Author Richard A. Bailey
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 558g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 236mm * 23mm