To Preach Deliverance to the Captives - (Antislavery, Abolition, and the Atlantic World) by Ryan C McIlhenny (Hardcover)

About the Book

"George Bourne (1780-1845) was one of early American Republic's first immediate abolitionists, an influential figure who helped prepare the way for the campaign against slavery in the antebellum period. His radicalism, however, was tied to an ultra-Protestantism, at the center of which was a virulent hostility to Catholicism. Ryan McIlhenny's trenchant analysis of Bourne is among the first studies to focus on his complicated, if somewhat paradoxical, ideology by examining both his pioneering efforts in abolitionism as well as the development of his anti-Catholic writings in his approach to reform. In "To Preach Deliverance to the Captives," McIlhenny suggests that while Bourne presents a significant challenge for the contemporary mind because he was a traditionalist and a progressive, a liberal emancipationist and a religiously intolerant dogmatist, his beliefs offer a glimpse into a unique the nineteenth-century mentality. Bourne's commentary on a variety of controversial topics - he had strong opinions on slavery, race, and citizenship; the role of women; Christianity and republicanism; the importance of the Bible; and the place of the church in civil society - put him at the center of debates about these issues. Bourne remains a complex figure, a polymath situated within the political, social, and cultural possibilities indicative of the early Republic. He understood the developing nature of the young nation and was eager to play a part in shaping it. In this first-ever comprehensive assessment of Bourne, McIlhenny reveals that his religious radicalism, which drew on the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation, gave shape to his hopes for an emerging post-revolutionary republic that would focus mainly on its religious foundations. The strength of the American nation, in Bourne's mind, rested not only on institutions indicative of a republican form of government but also on a pure Christianity, exemplified best in historical Protestantism. To Bourne, the nation depended not only on principles or institutions but on the activism of Protestant leaders like himself, guardians of what he believed was a pure and undefiled faith against the twin evils of slavery and Catholicism"--

Book Synopsis

George Bourne was one of the early American republic's first immediate abolitionists, an influential figure who paved the way for the campaign against slavery in the antebellum period. His approach to reform was shaped by a conservative Protestant outlook that became increasingly hostile to Catholicism. In To Preach Deliverance to the Captives, Ryan C. McIlhenny examines the interplay of Bourne's pioneering efforts in abolitionism and his intensely anti--Catholic views.

McIlhenny portrays Bourne as both a radical and a conservative, a reformer who desired to get back to the roots of Christianity for the purpose of completely dismantling slavery. Bourne's commentary on a variety of controversial topics--slavery, race, and citizenship; the role of women; Christianity and republicanism; the importance of the Bible; and the place of the church in civil society--put him at the center of many debates. He remains a complex figure: a polymath situated within the political, social, and cultural possibilities of an early republic that he was eager to play a part in shaping.

Bourne's religious radicalism gave rise to his hope for an emerging post-revolutionary republic that would focus mainly on its religious foundations. The strength of the American nation, in Bourne's mind, rested not only on institutions indicative of a republican form of government but also on a pure Christianity, exemplified best in historical Protestantism. To Bourne, the future of the fledgling nation depended not only on principles and institutions but also on the activism of Protestant leaders like himself.

Review Quotes

Historians of the antebellum era have long noted the symbiotic relationship between anti-Catholic and abolitionist ideologies. No previous scholarship, however, approaches the depth and sophistication of Ryan McIlheney's analysis of how and why these belief systems interacted so compellingly and so explosively. He accomplishes this, moreover, by giving us a superb biography of the theological visionary and endlessly combative controversialist, George Bourne, a long-overlooked but nevertheless a driving force in the interwoven development of strident anti-Catholicism and radical white abolitionism.--James Brewer Stewart, founder of Historians Against Slavery and author of Holy Warriors: The Abolitionists and American Slavery

Ryan McIlhenny has written a compelling book about an individual with passions difficult to categorize by contemporary ethical standards. That figure, George Bourne, was militantly anti-Catholic, but even more militantly opposed to slavery. Bourne's life and the considerable influence of his dramatic career make up a story told very well in this exceptionally well-researched and clearly written study.--Mark A. Noll, author of The Civil War as a Theological Crisis

About the Author

Ryan C. McIlhenny is professor of liberal arts and humanities at Xing Wei College in Shanghai, China.