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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC07533 |
| From Archive Folder | Documents Relating to 1825 |
| Title | John Adams to William Smith Shaw discussing Native American and African religion |
| Date | 26 June 1825 |
| Author | Adams, John (1735-1826) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Former President Adams discusses Native American and African religion with Shaw, his nephew and former private secretary. States "Dr. Jarvis has assigned some good causes of the too general inattention to the religion of the Indians. But those causes do not apply to the negroes. We have thousands if not millions of them domesticated with us. We might examine them. But who asks them a question? Or studies their languages ... Why are not Bibles translated into negro and sent to the gold coast?" Refers to a slave named Glasgow owned by Boston pastor Samuel Cooper. States that when Cooper educated Glasgow in Christianity, Glasgow related an African story that mirrored Christianity's explanation of the origin of evil. Of Glasgow's explanation, states "It is as rational an attempt to account for the origin of Evil as that of the great Frederick, [Soames] Jennings, or Dr. Edwards" (referring to Frederick the Great, King of Prussia and Jonathan Edwards, an early American theologian). Adds the phrase "[s]ecret things belong not to Us," which is a paraphrase of Deuteronomy 29:29 in the Bible. Stresses the similarities between Christianity and some facets of the African religion discussed by Glasgow. Written at Montezillo, Adams' estate. Contains a tear, possibly from seal. |
| Subjects | President American Indian History Africa Religion African American History Slavery Literature and Language Arts Christianity |
| People | Adams, John (1735-1826) Shaw, William Smith (1778-1826) Cooper, Samuel (1725-1783) Edwards, Jonathan (1703-1758) Frederick II, King of Prussia (1712-1786) Glasgow (fl. ca. 1868) Jarvis, Dr. (fl. 1825) |
| Place written | Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Theme | Religion; Native Americans; The Presidency |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859 |
| Additional Information | The Samuel Cooper to whom Adams refers is probably Revolutionary-era patriot pastor Samuel Cooper (1725-1783) of Boston's Brattle Street Church. Cooper was a strong supporter of the Revolutionary cause and wrote and preached extensively on the subject. Adams was one of Cooper's congregants. Shaw (1778-1826) was Adams's nephew and secretary. He was a prominent attorney and scholar, as well as a board member of the Boston Athenaeum. He was responsible for making the Athenaeum public, and served as its librarian until 1823. "Soames Jennings" refers to Soames Jenyns, a mid-18th century British author who wrote "The Internal Evidences of Christianity" and "Theory of Moral Evil." |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859 |