The passionate Beechers : a family saga of sanctity and scandal that changed America / Samuel A. Schreiner, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schreiner, Samuel A., Jr., 1921-2018.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Beecher, Lyman, 1775-1863.

Beecher, Lyman.

Beecher family.

Congregational churches--United States--Biography.

Congregational churches.

United States.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

ix, 373 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons, [2003]

Summary:

When Abraham Lincoln first met Harriet Beecher Stowe in the 1860s he greeted her by saying "So this is the little lady who started this big war" -- referring to her wildly popular and influential novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, which had galvanized Northern opposition to slavery. He could have made similar comments about her brother, Henry Ward Beecher and, indeed, many of the eleven sons and daughters of the fiery Presbyterian minister and abolitionist, Lyman Beecher. In The Passionate Beechers, veteran journalist, biographer, and novelist Samuel Schreiner tells the true, larger-than-life story of the nineteenth century's most famous, influential, and controversial American family.

Revered by millions and reviled by millions more for their outspokenness, revolutionary thinking, and personal idiosyncrasies, the Beechers seemed to be everywhere in American life. As Harriet's novels inspired the nation, Henry, Edward, Charles, and Thomas -- all preachers -- electrified their congregations with powerful sermons. Catharine crusaded for women's education, and James served as both commander and chaplain to his all-black regiment, the Thirty-fifth United States Colored Troops. The youngest daughter, Isabella, was a fiery leader of the women's suffrage movement and a spiritualist who received messages that she was related to Jesus and sent to rule the world. Virtually all of the Beechers were, like their father, accomplished writers whose ardent opinions were published in countless books, newspapers, and magazines -- many of them published or edited by Beechers.

Written with the power, scope, and intimacy of a blockbuster novel, this sweeping family saga explores the extraordinary accomplishments, public acclaim, private tragedies, and national scandals that kept the Beechers in the public eye for nearly a century. It assesses their impact on the abolitionist movement, women's suffrage, the Reconstruction, and the transformation of mainstream Protestant doctrine from fire and brimstone Calvinism to the gospel of love, charity, and good news. It also recounts numerous family tragedies, including the early death of their mother, worn out from childbirth; the disappearance of Harriet's alcoholic son; and the scandalous adultery trial of Henry Ward Beecher.

Like the Adamses before them and the Kennedys later on, the Beechers made a profound impact on American culture, an effect which can still be felt today. The Passionate Beechers tells the story of this exceptional family with an energy and enthusiasm worthy of the Beechers themselves.

Contents:

Prelude: "Thanks to God, we's free" 1

1 "The Chariot of Christ" 9

2 "Up for the war" 22

3 "No child prepared to die" 38

4 "Beloved and affectionate children" 58

5 "Oh, good Lord! Can we go through this?" 73

6 "I will write something. I will if I live" 114

7 "After all, what is a novel?" 149

8 "This war is killing me" 189

9 "Wait

wait

singing songs in the night" 232

10 "I will not lie there" 295

11 "In the flickering light of the dying embers" 335.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 355-358) and index.

ISBN:

0471414840

OCLC:

51095515

Online:

Publisher description