Popular Views of Christianity in America - Late 1800's
In the January 3rd, 1857 edition of Harper's Weekly, the author states there are three institutions vital for the success of a civilization: the Family, The Church, and the State (in that order). "It will be seen at a glance that the Family, the Church, and the State mutually and powerfully influence each other, and that their aggregate fruits constitute the civilization of any people" (Harpers Weekly, 1857).
The periodical goes on to state "The influence of the Family and the Church upon civilization in Mohammedan and Pagan lands is not so open to our view. We find, however, clearly this one great fact, that the civilization of these lands is greatly inferior to the civilization of Christian countries." Furthermore, those nations outside of the Christian faith are at a stand-still regarding their development, and are "sickly and decaying." If only the writers knew what trials of faith the United States would soon face...
American Christianity During the American Civil War
During America's Civil War, the perspective of what would quickly become the “Confederate States of America” was that slavery - particularly in terms of African slaves - was ordained by God and upheld in the Holy Scripture; thus began the South’s embrace of religion as its moral defense and its motive force (Stout, 2024). Recent scholarship has shown that religion stood at the center of the Civil War for both sides. Leaders as well as common soldiers on both the North and South sides looked to God for meaning in the face of the War's brutality, and numerous ministers proclaimed that God would determine the outcome. Since colonial times, clergy and politicians alike proclaimed themselves God’s “chosen people." Now, the Civil War would test both God's favor as well as the survivability of the American political experiment.
Throughout the war, however, the flame of Christian faith continued to burn, as shown by a letter from Catherine Siscoe of Illinois to Private Justus Norse where she explains the happiness she feels in accepting Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.
This is not to say there wasn't disagreement amongst learned men regarding the role Christianity was to play in "real life." Sawyer argued in the December 16, 1864 edition of The Liberator that faith and the Scriptures are only as good as the men who preach them. "The Scriptures are not given us to supplement reason, or to supersede it, but to serve it. They reveal God and his laws as apprehended by the wise and good, whose experience and opinions they report. How far they reveal God and his laws correctly we must determine by their evidences of the faiths respecting them which they teach; and by other legitimate and reliable information (Sawyer, 1864)."
As a result of the segregation within Christian society, numerous all-black congregations and denominations were established. Colonel Henry McNeal Turner was the first African American chaplain commissioned by the United States Government and, during the Civil War, Colonel Turner was appointed chaplain of a regiment by President Lincoln. He was later ordained minister and bishop for the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and his popularity amongst the citizens allowed him to serve briefly in the Georgia State Legislature. Not to be confined to our shores, he actively promoted the African colonization movement and helped organize AME churches in South Africa, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
(Note about Image 1: Morse was a Private in the 47th Indiana Volunteers, Co. G. This collection begins with Morse headed South with his unit, fighting in Missouri, Tennessee, and then in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, good letters of the fights and activities. The correspondence ends with a large group of letters from the City Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Morse is recovering from his wounds and from 'Fistula;' he writes accurately and eloquently about the hospital and the people there, both soldiers and medical people. ("Papers and Images of the American Civil War" - National Humanities Center, http://www.americanhistory.amdigital.co.uk/, Sabin American, Jerry Falwell Library))
“HarpWeek - Electronic Access to Harper’s Weekly.” n.d. Accessed July 13, 2024. https://harp-alexanderstreet-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/view/article/text/10009/18894.
“Ministry During the Civil War · ‘Gladly Laid Upon the Country’s Altar’: Methodists and the American Civil War · Drew University Library Special Collections.” n.d. Accessed July 12, 2024. https://omeka.drew.edu/exhibits/show/civil-war/ministry.
“Accessible Archives | Search.” n.d. Accessed July 13, 2024. https://www-accessible-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/accessible/print.
“C. Siscoe to Justus Morse Regarding Her Embracing Christianity.” 1864, August 21, 1864. http://www.americanhistory.amdigital.co.uk/Documents/Details/GLC02170.56.
Stout, Harry. 2024. “Religion in the Civil War: The Southern Perspective.” National Humanities Center. Diving America: Religion in American History. July 12, 2024. https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/nineteen/nkeyinfo/cwsouth.htm.
