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Acknowledgments this book began nearly a decade ago as a ten-page paper on religion in the british and American abolitionist movements. my undergraduate adviser at Keene state college, Gregory Knouff, encouraged me to develop the paper into a larger project, and this study is the final result. i am indebted to Greg for his support and friendship over the years. matthew crocker’s course on the early republic was instrumental in my deciding to pursue history, while Joseph Witkowski and vincent Ferlini both chose me to serve as their undergraduate teaching assistants, which were important experiences when deciding to enter academia. Antonio Henley and Amanda Powell at the University of new Hampshire’s ronald e. mcnair Program successfully convinced me to attend graduate school, and i will be forever grateful that they did so. many thanks also to Funso Afolayan, my mcnair mentor, for guiding this project along at its earliest stages. i cannot say enough about the invaluable support, advice, and encouragement i received from my dissertation adviser, Heather Andrea Williams, as well as the insightful criticism and assistance of my dissertation committee members at the University of north carolina—Kathleen duval, lloyd Kramer, laurie maffly-Kipp, and Jerma Jackson. other members of the faculty there who commented on portions of the work include John Wood sweet, Jacquelyn Hall, and rebecka rutledge Fisher in the english department. my graduate colleagues in the history department at Unc were similarly invaluable to the completion of this study. randy browne carefully read each chapter of the manuscript and always offered excellent criticism. this project is what it is largely due to his assistance. vii ben reed, Jennifer donnally, eliot spencer, catherine conner, brandon Winford, and david Palmer read parts of the project and helped make both my arguments and writing stronger. my colleagues at the University of north carolina at charlotte likewise read portions of the manuscript in our department’s brown bag seminars. i very much appreciate their excellent advice and support over the years. special thanks to my colleague and series editor John david smith, who was instrumental in this book’s publication, as well as manisha sinha and the other anonymous reader at the Kent state University Press for their insightful comments and criticism. i have received generous financial and research support from a number of different sources. these include the department of education’s ronald e. mcnair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program; the royster society of Fellows at the University of north carolina; the Unc history department ’s mowry dissertation Fellowship; the Gilder lehrman institute of American History; and the Peabody essex museum. At Unc charlotte, a Faculty research Grant and a small Grant were instrumental in helping me complete the manuscript. the staffs at the massachusetts Historical society, boston Public library, congregational library, massachusetts Archives, Phillips library at the Peabody essex museum, rhode island Historical society, new-york Historical society, and schomburg center for research in black culture provided invaluable assistance. Finally, i would like to thank my family. Alain and lynn cameron, as well as rejean and France cameron, opened up their homes during multiple research trips. before she passed away, my grandmother Gisele and my grandfather, real cameron, did likewise. many thanks also to my siblings, and to my wonderful wife, shanice, for her love and encouragement . most of all, i would like to thank my mother, sylvie cameron, for keeping me grounded and always being there for me. this book is dedicated to her memory. viii acknowledgments ...

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