Strangers and Pilgrims - (Gender and American Culture) by Catherine a Brekus (Paperback)

About the Book

Papers presented at several seminars and conferences.

Book Synopsis

Margaret Meuse Clay, who barely escaped a public whipping in the 1760s for preaching without a license; "Old Elizabeth," an ex-slave who courageously traveled to the South to preach against slavery in the early nineteenth century; Harriet Livermore, who spoke in front of Congress four times between 1827 and 1844 -- these are just a few of the extraordinary women profiled in this, the first comprehensive history of female preaching in early America.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, Catherine Brekus examines the lives of more than a hundred female preachers -- both white and African American -- who crisscrossed the country between 1740 and 1845. Outspoken, visionary, and sometimes contentious, these women stepped into the pulpit long before twentieth-century battles over female ordination began. They were charismatic, popular preachers, who spoke to hundreds and even thousands of people at camp and revival meetings, and yet with but a few notable exceptions -- such as Sojourner Truth -- these women have essentially vanished from our history. Recovering their stories, Brekus shows, forces us to rethink many of our common assumptions about eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American culture.

Review Quotes

"A masterful overview that highlights recent advances in the study of religious women and indicts both women's historians and religious historians for failing to notice."
-- "Christianity Today"

ÝA¨dds such profundity and detail to the particulars of early preaching women's lives that it is a major contribution.

"Journal of Religion"

A study which should quickly become the standard work on its subject, radically altering our understanding of America's religious past .

"Journal of American Studies"

Now that Brekus has retrieved their stories, we will be hard put to forget the remarkable history of female preachers.

"Journal of Southern History"

"A study which should quickly become the standard work on its subject, radically altering our understanding of America's religious past .

"Journal of American Studies""

"Now that Brekus has retrieved their stories, we will be hard put to forget the remarkable history of female preachers.

"Journal of Southern History""

"Strangers and Pilgrims" is necessary reading for students of American religion.

"Journal of Ecclesiastical History"

[A]dds such profundity and detail to the particulars of early preaching women's lives that it is a major contribution.

"Journal of Religion"

It is a compelling picture that deserves to hold the attention of scholars and general readers alike.

"Journal of the Early Republic"

About the Author

Catherine A. Brekus teaches American religious history at the University of Chicago.