Joan D. Hedrick
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195096392
- eISBN:
- 9780199854288
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195096392.003.0014
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
The widely publicized predictions of William Miller increased the millennial expectation. It was, to take the title of a millennialist newspaper, one of the Signs of the Times. Miller's preaching ...
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The widely publicized predictions of William Miller increased the millennial expectation. It was, to take the title of a millennialist newspaper, one of the Signs of the Times. Miller's preaching fell on fertile soil and released energies that mushroomed out of control. For George Beecher, who veered between strenuous attempts at spiritual perfection and plunges into fits of depression, it was to prove too much to bear. The difficult path he trod was both example and warning to his sister Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was drawn into the vortex of perfectionist striving. Miller's predictions were publicized widely in the Boston area while Harriet Beecher Stowe was in the East arranging for the publication of The Mayflower. Harriet had written letters of religious import before, but never one of such personal intensity. The pieces Harriet wrote for the New-York Evangelist during this period reveal her preoccupation with perfection and final judgment.Less
The widely publicized predictions of William Miller increased the millennial expectation. It was, to take the title of a millennialist newspaper, one of the Signs of the Times. Miller's preaching fell on fertile soil and released energies that mushroomed out of control. For George Beecher, who veered between strenuous attempts at spiritual perfection and plunges into fits of depression, it was to prove too much to bear. The difficult path he trod was both example and warning to his sister Harriet Beecher Stowe, who was drawn into the vortex of perfectionist striving. Miller's predictions were publicized widely in the Boston area while Harriet Beecher Stowe was in the East arranging for the publication of The Mayflower. Harriet had written letters of religious import before, but never one of such personal intensity. The pieces Harriet wrote for the New-York Evangelist during this period reveal her preoccupation with perfection and final judgment.
Gordon B. McKinney
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780813140872
- eISBN:
- 9780813141367
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813140872.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century
This chapter describes the youth and early manhood of Henry W. Blair. Among the key episodes were the death of both his parents, the religious ideas of William Miller, and Blair's struggle for formal ...
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This chapter describes the youth and early manhood of Henry W. Blair. Among the key episodes were the death of both his parents, the religious ideas of William Miller, and Blair's struggle for formal education. Blair was successful in establishing himself as an attorney and as a local political figure.Less
This chapter describes the youth and early manhood of Henry W. Blair. Among the key episodes were the death of both his parents, the religious ideas of William Miller, and Blair's struggle for formal education. Blair was successful in establishing himself as an attorney and as a local political figure.
