Charity, Philanthropy, and Civility in American History

A discussion of the issues involved in discussions of the history of American philanthropy.

Lawrence J. Friedman (Edited by), Mark D. McGarvie (Edited by)

9780521603539, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 22 March 2004

480 pages, 11 b/w illus. 1 table
22.8 x 15.1 x 3 cm, 0.634 kg

'… timely and much needed … a well-designed, perceptive and stimulating book. The volume never loses track of the larger historical context and rarely gets bogged down in overly specialised case studies. Moreover, Friedman and McGarvie avoid the pitfalls of many edited collections …'. www.history.ac.uk

The study of philanthropy has transcended the structure of traditional disciplines, often involving non-historians in historical analysis. This book presents professional historians addressing the dominant issues and theories offered to explain the history of American philanthropy and its role in American society. The essays develop and enlighten the major themes proposed by the book's editors, in some instances taking issue with each other in the process. The overarching premise is that philanthropic activity in America has its roots in the desires of individuals to impose their visions of societal ideals or conceptions of truth upon their society. To do so, they have organised in groups, frequently defining themselves and their group's role in society in the process.

Introduction: philanthropy in America: historicism and its discontents Lawrence J. Friedman
Part I. Giving and Caring in Early America, 1601–1861: 1. Giving in America: from charity to organised philanthropy Robert Gross
2. Protestant missionaries: pioneers of early American philanthropy Amanda Porterfield
3. The origins of Anglo-American sensibility G. J. Barker Benfield
4. The Dartmouth College case and the legal design of American philanthropy Mark McGarvie
5. Rethinking assimilation: American Indians and the practice of Christianity, 1800–1861 Stephen Warren
6. Antebellum reform: salvation, self-control, and social transformation Wendy Gamber
Part II. The Nationalisation and Internationalising of American Philanthropy, 1861–1930: 7. Law, reconstruction, and African-American education in post-emancipation South Foy Finkenbine
8. Women and political culture Kathleen McCarthy
9. From gift to foundation: the philanthropic lives of Mrs Russell Sage Ruth Crocker
10. 'Curing evils at their source': the arrival of 'scientific giving' Judy Sealander
11. Missions to the world: philanthropy abroad Emily Rosenberg
Part III. Philanthropic Reconstructions, 1930–2001: 12. Failure and resilience: pushing the limits in depression and wartime David Hammack
13. Faith and good works: catholic giving and taking Mary Oates
14. In defence of diversity: Jewish thought from assimilation to cultural pluralism Stephen Whitfield
15. Waging the Cold War in the third world: the foundations and the challenges of development Gary Hess
16. Philanthropy, the civil rights movement, and the politics of racial reform Claude Clegg
17. Philanthropy, the welfare state, and the careers of public and private institutions since 1945 Peter Hall
Epilogue: The European Comparison William Cohen.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ], Social & cultural history [HBTB], History of the Americas [HBJK]