Download The Burned-over District: The Social and Intellectual History of Enthusiastic Religion in Western New York, 1800-1850 fb2

by Whitney R. Cross

Americas

Author:

Whitney R. Cross
ISBN:

0801492327
ISBN13:

978-0801492327
Genre:

History
Publisher:

Cornell University Press; 1 edition (December 31, 1981)
Pages:

400 pages
Subcategory:

Americas
Language:

English
FB2 format

1403 kb
ePUB format

1362 kb
DJVU format

1419 kb
Rating:

4.2
Votes:

568
Formats:

lrf azw mbr txt

More..

The Burned-over District refers to the western and central regions of New York State in the early 19th century, where religious revivals and the formation of new religious movements of the Second Great Awakening took place, to such a great extent th. .

The fervent religiosity of the region caused historians to call it the "burned-over district

The fervent religiosity of the region caused historians to call it the "burned-over district. This book is a study of the social, cultural, economic, political, and ideological causations of the great religious upheavals of the time and their far-reaching effects upon American culture. Includes bibliographical references. Origins - Environment - Portents - Genesis of Ultraism - Harvest - Aftermath.

Although the "Burned-Over District" was published some sixty years ago, Whitney Cross' book is still essential .

Although the "Burned-Over District" was published some sixty years ago, Whitney Cross' book is still essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why Mormonism would emerge in 1830. Religious revivals, like fires, swept through western New York, producing reformers, anti-drinking zealots, those who denounced "priestcraft," prophets, and saints. One man deeply influenced by the heated winds of his times was Joseph Smith. Originally published in 1950, Cross focused his attention on the western part of upstate New York and the religious and reform fervor that dominated the social and religious landscape.

Book Description: "Burned-over District was a name applied to a small region, during a limited period of history, to.The resurgence of revival religion, swelling since 1 800, was in the Burned-over District prepared for its climactic stage by the excitements of the twenties.

Book Description: "Burned-over District was a name applied to a small region, during a limited period of history, to indicate a particular phase of development. It described the religious character of western New York during the first half of the nineteenth century. Time, subject, and area have thus all combined to confine the scope of this book. Enthusiasm rose to its peak in the middle years of the next decade.

Cross, Whitney R. Publication date. Books for People with Print Disabilities. Cornell University Press.

The Burned-Over District book. During the first half of the nineteenth century the wooded.

New York, 1800-1850 By: Whitney R. Cross Format: Paperback Number of Pages: 382 Vendor: Cornell University Press. The late Whitney R. Cross was Assistant Professor of History at West Virginia University.

Title: The Burned-over District: The Social and Intellectual History of Enthusiastic Religion in Western New York, 1800-1850 By: Whitney R. Dimensions: . 0 X . 0 (inches) Weight: 1 pound 1 ounce ISBN: 0801492327 ISBN-13: 9780801492327 Stock No: WW492327.

Whitney R. Cross," American Journal of Sociology 57, no. 1 (Ju. 1951): 95-96. On the Relation Between Sociology and Ethics.

The Burned-over District: The Social and Intellectual History of Enthusiastic Religion in Western New York, 1800-1850. Whitney R. Of all published articles, the following were the most read within the past 12 months. Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty. The Mark of a Criminal Record.

Burned-over District was a name applied to a small region, during a limited period of history, to indicate a particular phase of development. The study has nevertheless seemed rewarding, mainly because its implications transcend all three limitations

Burned-over District was a name applied to a small region, during a limited period of history, to indicate a particular phase of. The study has nevertheless seemed rewarding, mainly because its implications transcend all three limitations. The meaning expands in a geographical sense because this one area provides a case history in the westward transit of New England culture.

"Burned-over District was a name applied to a small region, during a limited period of history, to indicate a particular phase of development. It described the religious character of western New York during the first half of the nineteenth century. Time, subject, and area have thus all combined to confine the scope of this book. The study has nevertheless seemed rewarding, mainly because its implications transcend all three limitations.

“The meaning expands in a geographical sense because this one area provides a case history in the westward transit of New England culture. Likewise, it is representative as a sample of the change from youth to maturity in a single section affected by continuing westward movement. The subject of religion has broader significance in this period and locality than might at first appear. This section was the storm center, and religious forces were the driving propellants of social movements important for the whole country in that generation. As far as time goes, this book is an illustration of the way in which the minds of one era help to form the destinies of succeeding generations. Neither the causes of the Civil War nor the origins of national prohibition, to cite only two prominent examples, can be thoroughly understood without reference to the Burned-over District."―from the Preface

Manona

This book is not for everyone. It is of special interest for me since my family lived in the Burned-over District during the historical era described. One must wade through writing that is wordy and overwritten, but the details are useful, especially if one is interested in genealogies and family history.

Xurad

It's time for a new academic investigation of the evangelical fervor of Western NY in the mid-19th c. The points that Cross makes are well-worn, there is new information, and his writing style is a strangely obtuse academese that was popular in the 1940s and 50s.

Hasirri

Excellent service and very illuminating book about region from which my ancestors migrated to Michigan.

Kelerius

Note: Your "helpful" votes are appreciated. Thanks.

Although the "Burned-Over District" was published some sixty years ago, Whitney Cross' book is still essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why Mormonism would emerge in 1830.

Religious revivals, like fires, swept through western New York, producing reformers, anti-drinking zealots, those who denounced "priestcraft," prophets, and saints. One man deeply influenced by the heated winds of his times was Joseph Smith.

"In religion," Cross writes, "optimism took the form of belief in an early millennium. Just as the American political system would lead the to equality and justice, so would American revivals inaugurate the thousand years' reign of Christ on earth before the Second Coming and the end of the world" (p. 79).

Thus, we are not surprised to see the emergence around 1830 of three churches founded on millennialism--The Church of Christ (later the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the "Mormon"), the Adventists, and the Disciples of Christ. Each of these new American religions preached millennialism, opposed drinking, and wanted to return to New Testament Christianity.

Much more has come to light since Cross published his book--especially about magic and the occult--but his book is still valuable. Highly recommended.

Spilberg

One of the most interesting books on antebellum reform to appear in the middle part of the twentieth century was Whitney Cross's "Burned-Over District." Originally published in 1950, Cross focused his attention on the western part of upstate New York and the religious and reform fervor that dominated the social and religious landscape. Emphasizing revivalism and religious experimentation during the Second Great Awakening, Cross sensitively balances sociological analysis with historical narrative to create a powerfully provocative portrait of life on the rural lands of western New York. At a fundamental level, Cross overturns the "Frontier Thesis" of Frederick Jackson Turner that argued for American exceptionalism based on the influence of a frontier environment. Cross sees many more longstanding European antecedents in the maku-up of society in "The Burned-Over District." He also notes that the settlers in this area did not have time to develop "religious enthusiasms" on their own, and that it was brought to them from the East.

Cross really sees the "fires" of revivalism and "enthusiastic religion" as a central ingredient in the making of American character, at least in upstate New York. This upheaval reoriented the landscape of American culture, gave rise to many of the mainstay denominations of later years, birthed such radical religious concepts as Mormonism and the Oneida Perfectionists, and altered the politics of the day through the introduction of such entities as the anti-Masonic party.

Cross divides his book into four basic parts. The first three chapters lay out the general parameters of the Second Great Awaking, its origins, evolution, and rationale. He finds this a purely constructed event, created through the efforts of missionary societies, itinerant preachers, and local religionists. His fourth and fifth chapters explore the appeal of revivalistic fervor, using a heavily sociological analysis. In both of these major sections of "The Burned-Over District" Cross emphasizes the influence of easterners on the experience as a direct challenge to the "Frontier Thesis." In chapters 6 through 9 Cross discusses specific leaders of these efforts, and in the last part of the book he explores the radical movements that emerged from revivalism and "religious enthusiasm."

I first read this book in graduate school about 1980 and found it a fascinating study, in part because it helped to put in context the rise of Mormonism, which was a special interest of mine. On rereading it, I find it still an interesting and useful work but it is less powerful than I recall from my graduate school experience. I still find it a useful local study of one aspect of antebellum reform, but there are other community studies of significance that have emerged to modify and in some instances to supersede its analysis. Among these are outstanding books on religious fervor such as Robert Abzug's "Cosmos Crumbling: American Reform and the Religious Imagination" (Oxford University Press, 1994), and community studies such as "A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837" (Hill and Wang, 1979) by Paul E. Johnson. While a bit outdated, "The Burned-Over District" is still a most useful study.

eBooks simillar to The Burned-over District: The Social and Intellectual History of Enthusiastic Religion in Western New York, 1800-1850: