Jonathan J. Den Hartog's Blog, page 4
April 6, 2015
Frederick Douglass, William Jay, the Federalists, and the Underground Railroad
My last post highlighted that I would be traveling down to Houston, Texas for a presentation at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. The trip was great and deserves its own post.
For now, let me highlight a piece of my writing that just went up today at the Religion in American History site.
My monthly article ties together the famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass with a lesser-known but very important abolitionist writer William Jay. Jay, it just so happens, is an important figure in Patriotism and Piety: Federalist Politics and Religious Struggle in the New American Nation.
Also, in a recently-released book about the underground railroad in New York, historian Eric Foner highlighted the importance of both William and his son John for supporting the cause of fugitive slaves in New York.
William Jay, active abolitionist
March 24, 2015
On the Road with the Federalists, Part 2
I should have entitled my last post about traveling to the University of Missouri to present about John Jay as “On the Road with the Federalists.”
I’ll just declare that was the intent, which means I can make this post “Part 2.”
I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be speaking in Houston, Texas next Monday, March 30 on “The Federalists, Religion, and Public Engagement.”
The event will take place at noon, at the Houston Campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am grateful for the sponsorship of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement for making this event happen.
Texas friends are welcome to attend.
February 16, 2015
Presenting at the University of Missouri this Friday
I’ll be presenting at the University of Missouri-Columbia this Friday (2/20). The paper I’ll be presenting is “John Jay’s Retirement and the Ends of Federalism.” The event will be held at 3:30 PM in Read Hall, Room 304. I’m grateful to be hosted by the Kinder Forum on Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri.
The description of the event is here.
The event is public, so if you are in the central Missouri area, please feel free to join us!
February 13, 2015
Friday Links
It’s that time again when my browser is overburdened with tabs.
Here are a few things that have been of interest to me, of late:
First, last week I waded into the intersection of Pop Culture (Katy Perry) and Early American History (the Illuminati!).
Some Friday Humor–The Founding Fathers are dropped into an American Mall.
Hot Chocolate as a truly American drink. This gives me great comfort as I’m downing hot chocolate in the midst of a Minnesota winter. It also brings to mind the spiced hot chocolate served at Colonial Williamsburg.
On a much more serious note, Rod Dreher wrote some provocative things.
First, on the distance between Dante and Duck Dynasty.
Then, a very searching reflection on the legacy of lynching in the South. Dreher asks what to think about the fact that lynchings happened in his very own parish in Louisiana.
Peter Lawler on the flaws of Scott Walker’s opinion of higher education.
On the griefs that made T.S. Eliot into a real poet.
Do you miss playing the Oregon Trail or Carmen Sandiego?
And, let’s not forget the obligatory Patriotism and Piety link.
February 3, 2015
Presenting about Blogging at UNWSP
Today I’ll have an opportunity to talk to fellow faculty at my institution, Northwestern, about my blogging endeavors. I’m looking forward to talking about the reasons for my blogging, the ties between blogging and scholarship, and some practical considerations. Since I’ll be presenting with my colleague Keith Jones, I have no doubt it will be rollicking time.
However, if all else fails, I’ll be keeping this Monty Python sketch of Philosophers Playing Football (i.e., Soccer) handy:
January 30, 2015
Patriotism and Piety on the Web this Week
This has been a great week for getting the word out about Patriotism and Piety.
The week launched with my Research on Religion Podcast with Tony Gill. I’m still really pleased with how that interview went.
That interview also got a lot of traction around the web.
John Fea saw it and linked to it that same day.
Then, on Wednesday, the interview was picked up by RealClearReligion (Wednesday Morning, 1/28), a big aggregator of Religious News Stories.
Then, Friday, the Pietist Schoolman Chris Gehrz linked to it in his web round-up (with the cover image!).
I consider that good coverage!
Today, my web interview with the Historical Horizons Blog, hosted by Calvin College went live. The interview, hosted by Professor Kristin Du Mez was designed to be short and to the point. We hope it generates interest so that people will pick up the book.
Oh, and speaking of that, feel free to pick up the book!
January 26, 2015
Research on Religion Podcast Interview
Continuing the theme of interviews, last week I recorded a great interview with Anthony Gill. Tony is a professor of Political Science at the University of Washington and a fellow of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. Prof. Gill’s really outstanding initiative is the “Research on Religion” podcast. I had done interviews with Tony before on John Jay and Christians in the American Revolution. This time, we got to talk about Patriotism and Piety. I thought the interview went really well and did a lot to get into the contents of the book. If you like to listen to podcasts, this will be a great way to spend an hour of your day.
January 15, 2015
Patriotism and Piety in “The Author’s Corner”
Messiah College Historian John Fea runs a regular feature on his “Way of Improvement Blog” with newly-published authors called “The Author’s Corner.” Today, I was able to come into “The Author’s Corner.” The interview has gone live today.
So, head over to his website and check it out!
Then, click through his link or mine, to buy the book.
Apparently we sold out Amazon’s initial stock. Thanks! They will have restocked by next week.
January 9, 2015
The Blurbs of Patriotism and Piety
Many books carry on their covers “blurbs,” or recommendations from other authors and authorities. This is a way of signaling to readers “Look at this book!” or “This is important!” The choices of who will offer blurbs and what those blurbs will say carries a lot of weight.
It’s for that reason that I was incredibly pleased with the two scholars who offered blurbs for Patriotism and Piety.
The first was Mark Noll. Noll is the McAnaney Chair in History at the University of Notre Dame. Noll is the most prolific historian of American Religion in his generation. He has written extensively, producing many important works, including The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada, and America’s God. Noll’s scholarship has strongly influenced my own. As a leader in the field, it matters when Noll writes:
With diligent research, the author provides unusually detailed support for his contentions about the religious and political convictions of his subjects, as well as for their networking with other Federalists and competition with Jeffersonians. The result is a convincing study that demonstrates how significantly religion factored in the history of the Federalist Party and how important religious Federalists were for propelling the voluntary style of social organization that influenced the nation so significantly in the first half of the nineteenth century.
The second blurb comes from Thomas Kidd, who is a professor of history at Baylor University and the Associate Director of the Institute for the Study of Religion at Baylor. Kidd is quickly building his own resume as a prolific historian, with histories of the First Great Awakening, Religion in the American Revolution, and just this past year, a biography of George Whitefield. Thus, it’s also a great compliment for Kidd to write:
Patriotism and Piety represents a much-needed addition to the political and religious history of the period. Comprehensive and authoritative, this book is clearly based on immense archival reading and research and will have a long-lasting influence on our view of an understudied topic.
So, don’t just take my word for it–listen to Mark Noll and Thomas Kidd and pick up Patriotism and Piety today!
January 6, 2015
Mad Tom, Political Conflict, and Religious Conflict
We don’t have a lot of political cartoons from the very early republic, but lately I have very much appreciated one called “Mad Tom in a Rage.”
As you can see, it shows the Devil and Tom Paine working to pull down the Federal Government.
To my mind, this says a lot about how Federalists saw the religious and political conflict of the early republic.
Today, I analyze the cartoon over at the Religion in American History Blog.
But, there’s another reason I think the cartoon is worth talking about: it forms the artwork for my book!
