"The real merit of this book is to explore slavery and sectionalism within the context of antebellum Protestantism as a means to expose new connections and to highlight established scholarship in a fresh manner."
—Walter H. Conser Jr., coeditor of Religious Diversity and American Religious History

Description

This anthology of original essays by historians explores the religious dimensions of the antebellum sectional conflict over slavery. Covering such familiar topics as the proslavery argument and denominational schisms, these essays emphasize the diversity that existed within regions, states, and denominations; the importance of local factors in shaping responses to the slavery controversy; and the powerful pulls toward moderation and unity that existed within the institutional church. Drawing on the recent flowering of scholarship on religion, the essays collected here provide a variety of new approaches, including quantitative methodologies and a heightened sensitivity to issues of race, class, and gender.