From Jamestown to Jefferson: The Evolution of Religious Freedom in Virginia

Preface

The origins of this volume lie in a semester-long symposium held during the fall of 2007 at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Virginia, entitled “From Jamestown to Jefferson: The Evolution of Religious Authority in Colonial Virginia.” The symposium was sponsored by the college’s Center for the Study of Religious Freedom and organized by Paul Rasor, director of the center, and coordinated with a concurrent course in the history of Virginia taught by Richard E. Bond, assistant professor of history at Virginia Wesleyan. The symposium sought to present a coherent narrative of Virginia ’s historic religious journey. Each contributor was invited to make a presentation on a specific theme as part of this project, and each chapter in this volume was first presented in the form of a free public lecture. The contributors took their assignments seriously, preparing thorough, well-crafted papers and often adjusting their own presentations in light of the others. This cooperative collegiality continued as they revised and expanded their original papers for publication here. The contributors are among the leading scholars of Virginia history, and their contributions reflect important scholarship. We are indebted to all of them for their superb work, their ongoing enthusiasm for this project, and their willingness to engage us simultaneously as editors and colleagues. Dick Holway, history and social sciences editor at the University of Virginia Press, masterfully shepherded the book through its many stages of production, and we are grateful. We also want to thank Raennah Mitchell, acquisitions assistant, for helping with the necessary administrative aspects of the project, Mark Mones, preface acting managing editor, and Morgan Myers, project editor, for responding promptly and clearly to our many technical questions, and Carol Sickman-Garner for her excellent copy editing. We are especially grateful to the anonymous reviewers whose comments improved the text in important ways. Ann Shappell, the center’s invaluable administrative assistant, performed superbly throughout the long process of planning and presenting the symposium, preparing follow-up reports, and proofreading manuscripts. We are grateful not only for her logistical support but also for her helpful insights and timely reminders. We also wish to acknowledge the support of Dr. Timothy G. O’Rourke, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Kenneth R. Perry Dean of the College, whose office provided funding for the indexing of this volume. The original symposium was supported in part by a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, and we are grateful for its contribution to the center’s work. Paul Rasor and Rich Bond Norfolk, Virginia, May 2010 viii paul rasor and richard e. bond from jamestown to jefferson This page intentionally left blank ...