Wrestlin' Jacob

A Portrait of Religion in Antebellum Georgia and the Carolina Low Country

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book Wrestlin' Jacob by Erskine Clarke, University of Alabama Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Erskine Clarke ISBN: 9780817388461
Publisher: University of Alabama Press Publication: July 15, 2014
Imprint: University Alabama Press Language: English
Author: Erskine Clarke
ISBN: 9780817388461
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Publication: July 15, 2014
Imprint: University Alabama Press
Language: English

This classic work is an important introduction to the efforts of whites to evangelize African Americans in the antebellum South.

 

First published in 1979, Wrestlin’ Jacob offers important insights into the intersection of black and white religious history in the South. Erskine Clarke provides two arenas—one urban and one rural—that show what happened when white ministers tried to bring black slaves into the fold of Christianity. Clarke illustrates how the good intentions—and vain illusions—of the white preachers, coupled with the degradation and cultural strength of the slaves, played a significant role in the development of black churches in the South.

 

From 1833 to 1847, Reverend Charles Colcock Jones served as an itinerant minister to slaves on the rice and cotton plantations in Liberty County, Georgia. The aim of Jones, and of the largely Puritan-descended slave owners, was to harvest not only good Christians but also obedient and hard-working slaves. At the same time, similar efforts were under way in cosmopolitan Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston permitted blacks to worship only under the supervision of whites, and partially as a result, whites and blacks worshiped together in ways that would be unheard of later in the segregated South.

 

Clarke examines not only the white ministers’ motivation in their missionary work but also the slaves’ reasons for becoming a part of the church. He addresses the important issue of the continuity of African traditions with the religious life of slaves and provides a significant introduction to the larger issues of slavery and religion in the South.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This classic work is an important introduction to the efforts of whites to evangelize African Americans in the antebellum South.

 

First published in 1979, Wrestlin’ Jacob offers important insights into the intersection of black and white religious history in the South. Erskine Clarke provides two arenas—one urban and one rural—that show what happened when white ministers tried to bring black slaves into the fold of Christianity. Clarke illustrates how the good intentions—and vain illusions—of the white preachers, coupled with the degradation and cultural strength of the slaves, played a significant role in the development of black churches in the South.

 

From 1833 to 1847, Reverend Charles Colcock Jones served as an itinerant minister to slaves on the rice and cotton plantations in Liberty County, Georgia. The aim of Jones, and of the largely Puritan-descended slave owners, was to harvest not only good Christians but also obedient and hard-working slaves. At the same time, similar efforts were under way in cosmopolitan Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston permitted blacks to worship only under the supervision of whites, and partially as a result, whites and blacks worshiped together in ways that would be unheard of later in the segregated South.

 

Clarke examines not only the white ministers’ motivation in their missionary work but also the slaves’ reasons for becoming a part of the church. He addresses the important issue of the continuity of African traditions with the religious life of slaves and provides a significant introduction to the larger issues of slavery and religion in the South.

More books from University of Alabama Press

Cover of the book A Confluence of Transatlantic Networks by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book Populism in Latin America by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book On the Battlefield of Memory by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book Island No. 10 by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book Nietzsche's Kisses by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book Avenues of Faith by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book When Colleges Sang by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book Radical Affections by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book Lincoln's Trident by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book Anna's Shtetl by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book A Brief Alphabet of Torture by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book A Great Fear by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book An American Rabbi in Korea by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book Let Us Now Praise Famous Women by Erskine Clarke
Cover of the book Almost Family by Erskine Clarke
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy