Description |
269 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm. |
Series |
Early American studies
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Early American studies.
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Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-255) and index. |
Contents |
Introduction -- A Cohansey Home -- A Presbyterian Conversion -- Ambition -- Rural Enlightenment -- A Virginia Sojourn -- Revolution -- The Call of God -- Duty -- Conclusion -- Appendix: A Note on the Fithian Diaries. |
Summary |
The Way of Improvement Leads Home traces the short but fascinating life of Philip Vickers Fithian. Born to Presbyterian grain-growers in rural New Jersey, he was never quite satisfied with the agricultural life he seemed destined to inherit. Fithian longed for something more- to improve himself in a revolutionary world that was making upward mobility possible. Fithian is best known for the diary that he wrote in 1773-74 while working as a tutor at Nomini Hall, the Virginia plantation of Robert Carter, and his role as a Revolutionary War chaplain. From the villages of New Jersey, Fithian was able to participate indirectly in the eighteenth-century republic of letters- a transatlantic intellectual community. Participation required a commitment to self-improvement that demanded a belief in the Enlightenment values of human potential and social progress. He constantly struggled to reconcile this quest for a cosmopolitan life with his love of home. It was the people, the religious culture, and the very landscape of his "native sod" that continued to hold Fithian's affections. |
Subject |
Fithian, Philip Vickers, 1747-1776.
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Fithian, Philip Vickers, 1747-1776. |
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Diarists -- Virginia -- Biography.
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Diarists. |
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Virginia. |
Genre/Form |
Biographies.
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Subject |
Tutors and tutoring -- Virginia -- Biography.
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Tutors and tutoring. |
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Presbyterians -- New Jersey -- Biography.
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Presbyterians. |
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New Jersey. |
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Civil war -- Religious aspects -- Presbyterians. |
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Virginia -- Social life and customs -- To 1775.
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Manners and customs. |
Chronological Term |
To 1775 |
Subject |
Plantation life -- Virginia -- History -- 18th century.
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Plantation life. |
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History. |
Chronological Term |
18th century |
Subject |
United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Chaplains.
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Enlightenment -- United States.
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Enlightenment. |
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United States. |
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American diaries -- History and criticism.
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American diaries. |
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United States -- Intellectual life -- 18th century.
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Intellectual life. |
Genre/Form |
Biographies.
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ISBN |
9780812241099 alkaline paper |
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0812241096 alkaline paper |
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9780812220599 paperback |
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0812240618 |
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9780812240610 |
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