Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Missionaries in Appalachia
Presentation #1 Title
“Everything Was Very Bloody and Heart Warming”: Moravians in Appalachia, 1734-1782
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
During the eighteenth century, few missionary groups had as much influence in Appalachia among Native American peoples as the Moravians. Their work has often been overlooked or minimized for a number of reasons. They were few in number and despite their best efforts to work with other missionary groups during the Great Awakening, they were often ostracized by other Christians. Although they were definitely Protestants, their blood and wounds theology led other Protestant groups to accuse them of being Catholics, which was a particularly damning charge on the frontier since it suggested that they were agents of New France or Spain. What truly differentiated them from their Protestant contemporaries in the mission field was their success in Christianizing native peoples. This was due to the ability of the natives to identify with the Moravians, as the abuse that the Moravians were constantly suffering at the hands of other Euroamericans made them kindred spirits. The Moravians also differentiated themselves by not seeking title to native lands and by living among the natives and generally treating them as equals. The closeness that developed between the Moravians and the respective Native Americans that they ministered to had profound consequences for all, as well as the development of the Old Northwest, particularly the Ohio Country.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
John R. Burch Jr. earned a PhD in History at the University of Kentucky. He is the author or co-author of seven books, including Owsley County, Kentucky and the Perpetuation of Poverty (McFarland, 2008). Other publications include the Encyclopedia of Water Politics and Policy in the United States (Congressional Quarterly Press, 2011) which was named an Outstanding Academic Title in 2012 by CHOICE: Reviews for Academic Libraries.
Presentation #2 Title
Integrating Appalachia: Competing Visions of John C. Campbell and John D. Whisman
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Campbell and Whisman represent two different generations of leaders in Appalachia who sought to relieve suffering and improve living conditions. They had significant impacts on the direction taken in achieving the goal to improve the quality of life for the people living in Appalachia. Campbell created the Council of Southern Mountains while Whisman played an instrumental role in the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission. Although they had similar methods for achieving the goal, they differed on their strategies and the ideologies that informed them. Subsequent initiatives, such as the Kentucky Appalachian Commission and Shaping Our Appalachian Region, created respectively by Kentucky governors Paul Patton in 1996 and Steven Beshear in 2013, re-invented elements of Campbell’s and Whisman’s strategies. All of these ventures have attempted to address the same persistent question since the late 1800s: How can the resources within and from without the region be harnessed to transform a chronically impoverished area into a prosperous one, contributing to the welfare of both Appalachia’s inhabitants and the nation as a whole?
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Glen Taul is a Reference Librarian at Campbellsville University, Campbellsville, Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, his dissertation examined the political and ideological origins of the ARC in “Poverty, Development, and Government in Appalachia: Origins of the Appalachian Regional Commission.” He has also authored of articles and book reviews on Appalachia and the South.
“Everything Was Very Bloody and Heart Warming”: Moravians in Appalachia, 1734-1782
During the eighteenth century, few missionary groups had as much influence in Appalachia among Native American peoples as the Moravians. Their work has often been overlooked or minimized for a number of reasons. They were few in number and despite their best efforts to work with other missionary groups during the Great Awakening, they were often ostracized by other Christians. Although they were definitely Protestants, their blood and wounds theology led other Protestant groups to accuse them of being Catholics, which was a particularly damning charge on the frontier since it suggested that they were agents of New France or Spain. What truly differentiated them from their Protestant contemporaries in the mission field was their success in Christianizing native peoples. This was due to the ability of the natives to identify with the Moravians, as the abuse that the Moravians were constantly suffering at the hands of other Euroamericans made them kindred spirits. The Moravians also differentiated themselves by not seeking title to native lands and by living among the natives and generally treating them as equals. The closeness that developed between the Moravians and the respective Native Americans that they ministered to had profound consequences for all, as well as the development of the Old Northwest, particularly the Ohio Country.
