Race and Redemption in Puritan New England

As colonists made their way to New England in the early seventeenth century, they hoped their efforts would stand as a "citty upon a hill." Living the godly life preached by John Winthrop would have proved difficult even had these puritans inhabited the colonies alone, but this was not the case: this new landscape included colonists from Europe, indigenous Americans, and enslaved Africans. In Race and Redemption in Puritan New England, Richard A. Bailey investigates the ways that colonial New Englanders used, constructed, and re-constructed their puritanism to make sense of their new realities. As they did so, they created more than a tenuous existence together. They also constructed race out of the spiritual freedom of puritanism. "[A] stimulating read...Bailey's first book is ambitious and shows a scholar sensitive to irony, contradiction, despair, and hope. I look forward to the next one." --Journal of American Ethnic History"Provocative...Readers will find in Race and Redemption much to ponder in the tragic history of race in early America." --Themelios "An important contribution to our understanding of the intersections of race and religion in colonial New England. ... A well-researched book that illuminates aspects of the Puritan experience that have not received significant attention before this. ... Essential reading for specialists in Puritanism."--H-Net"Fascinating. ... I recommend it most highly to anyone interested in Edwards, Edwards' world, and its socio-cultural legacies." --Douglas A. Sweeney, Director, Jonathan Edwards Center, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School"This is a well-researched book that illuminates aspects of the Puritan experience that have not received significant attention before this. In view of this, Race and Redemption in Puritan New England should be considered essential reading for specialists in Puritanism in this region. Persons with more general interests in colonial America, religion, and race relations should also find this book to be valuable." --H-Net"[T]his book begins to consider the fascinating and universal question of how a people intent on distinctiveness handled mundanity."--William and Mary Quarterly"Many scholars will find this book important and insightful, whether they are interested in New England Puritans or the history of race. ...Race and Redemption in Puritan New England makes an essential contribution by revealing New England Puritan society in a new light." --Journal ofInterdisciplinary History"Richard Bailey brings fresh eyes to familiar sources to argue that New England Puritans used racialized concepts earlier and more frequently than historians have supposed. The resultIntroduction: "Neither Bond Nor Free": New Englanders, Race, and Redemption ; 1 Laying the Foundation for "a Citty upon a Hill": Faith, Works, Covenant, and Colonialism ; 2 When Image Unmakes the Man: The Consequences of Thinking about the Colors and Capabilities of "Others" ; 3 "I am come into the light: Confessions of Faith, Sermons, and Ventriloquism ; 4 "We are not to make Asses of our Servants": Exercising Authority over New Englanders of Color ; 5 "The art of coyning Christians": Redeeming Self and "Others" in Puritan New England ; Epilogue: The Happy Day Refuses to Come