University of Notre Dame professor emeritus Mark Noll presents the first of a five-lecture series hosted by Nassau Presbyterian Church to mark the nation's 250th anniversary.
During the American Revolution, King George III called the drive for independence “the Presbyterian Rebellion,” and loyalists blamed “the damned Presbyterians” for starting it. Nassau Presbyterian, as First Presbyterian Church, was home to two signers of the Declaration of Independence—Witherspoon and Richard Stockton—five members of the Continental Congress, including Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, who wrote New Jersey’s new 1776 State Constitution in church pewholder Robert Stockton’s house, and provided most of its male members to the war effort as state leaders or soldiers. It had just one Tory in its congregation.
Nassau Presbyterian Church will host the five-lecture Samuel Adams Herr Semiquincentennial Series to mark the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth and the unique role Presbyterians played in moving New Jersey from indifference to independence.
The Herr family created the Samuel Adams Herr Lecture Series to honor its late son, Samuel Adams Herr, who was named after the great American patriot who was one of the driving forces behind the American Revolution and United States independence. The lectures are intended to foster a deeper understanding of American history, generally, and the significant role played by American Presbyterians in shaping it.
The series will begin May 17, when University of Notre Dame professor emeritus Mark Noll speaks on “Christian Reflections on the American Revolution.” The series will continue in June with two events co-sponsored by Princeton Theological Seminary and Nassau Presbyterian Church.
June 16: Harvard historian Annette Gordon-Reed, will engage in conversation with Princeton Seminary’s Heath W. Carter on the nation’s founding, race and faith in light of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
June 18: Carter will facilitate "Christian Faith and US Democracy: Where Do We Go From Here?" The panel will feature Jonathan Rauch (Brookings Institution), R. Marie Griffith (Washington University) and Cherie Harder (Trinity Forum).
Oct. 25: Gideon Mailer of the University of Minnesota Duluth, one of the foremost experts on the Rev. John Witherspoon, will present a lecture titled “The American Revolution: The History and Legacy of Witherspoon at 250.” Witherspoon was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence. He was also president of the former College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, and a pastor of First Presbyterian Church.
The Samuel Adams Herr Series will conclude Dec. 6, with a fireside chat titled “The Damned Presbyterians,” featuring Carter and Princeton Battlefield Society trustee Mark Herr, who is currently writing "First Church of the Revolution." Their conversation will focus ont he role of First Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian denomination in moving New Jersey from indifference to independence.
Presented in partnership with Nassau Presbyterian Church. Public Humanities programs are presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
AGE GROUP: | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Lectures & Panels | Humanities | Civic Life | *No Registration |
TAGS: | Revolution | NEH |
