In the late 1850s and early 1860s; the attention of the Catholic and Protestant religious communities around the world focused on a few small settlements of French Canadian immigrants in northeastern Illinois. Soon after arriving in their new home; a large number of these immigrants; led by Father Charles Chiniquy; the charismatic Catholic priest who had brought them there; converted to Protestantism. In this anthropological history; Caroline B. Brettell explores how Father Chiniquy took on both the sacred and the secular authority of the Catholic Church to engineer the religious schism and how the legacy of this rift affected the lives of the immigrants and their descendants for generations. This intriguing study of a nineteenth-century migration of French Canadians to the American Midwest offers an innovative perspective on the immigrant experience in America.Brettell chronicles how Chiniquy came to lead approximately one thousand French Canadian families to St. Anne; Illinois; in the early 1850s and how his conflict with the Catholic hierarchy over the ownership and administration of church property; delivery of the mass in French instead of Latin; and access to the Bible by laymen led to his excommunication. Drawing on the concept of social drama—a situation of intensely lived conflict that emerges within social groups—Brettell explains the religious schism in terms of larger ethnic and religious disagreements that were happening elsewhere in the United States and in Canada. Brettell also explores legal disputes; analyzes the reemergence of Catholicism in St. Anne in the first decade of the twentieth century; addresses the legacy of Chiniquy in both the United States and Quebec; and closely examines the French Canadian immigrant communities; focusing on the differences between the people who converted to Protestantism and those who remained Catholic.Occurring when nativism was pervasive and the anti-immigrant Know-Nothing Party was at its height; Chiniquy’s religious schism offers an opportunity to examine a range of important historical and anthropological issues; including immigration; ethnicity; and religion; changes in household and family structure; the ways social identities are constructed and reconstructed through time; and the significance of charismatic leadership in processes of social and religious change. Through its multidisciplinary approach; Brettell’s enlightening study provides a pioneering assessment of larger national tensions and social processes; some of which are still evident in modern immigration to the United States.
#1390106 in Books 2007-10-30 2007-10-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .3 x 5.50l; .75 #File Name: 080908743X272 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Reading Other People's MailBy Jim SchmidtIn The Soldier's Pen; Robert E. Bonner - an assistant professor of history at Michigan State University and the author of two previous books on the Civil War - provides Civil War enthusiasts and scholars with extended excerpts from the letters; diaries; and artwork from sixteen Union and Confederate soldiers. The book is an admirable accomplishment in terms of accessibility; relevance; interpretation; and in fulfilling the author's own stated mission.In his Introduction; Bonner admits that though "historians are loath to admit it; there is an illicit thrill that comes with reading other people's mail." (p. 8). He attributes this "thrill" to the sense of discovery that comes from reading and studying documents that were created by soldiers in private moments and intended for a private audience. Bonner has done readers a tremendous favor by providing access to previously unpublished material held in the famous Gilder Lehrman Collection (and now on deposit at the New York Historical Society); and allowing others the same sense of discovery.In terms of relevance; Bonner's selections dispel any modern conceit one might have that Civil War soldiers weren't as funny; clever; cynical; disgusted; romantic; prurient; etc.; as the modern soldier. Whether commenting on "War Republicans;" "Peace Democrats;" presidential elections; race relations; incompetent officers; desertion; marriage; suffering of civilians; etc.; the reader will have a sense that we have been there before.In terms of interpretation; Bonner expertly and sensitively weaves the letters; diaries; and artwork into the larger context of the Civil War. In seven chapters; he covers the importance of regular correspondence between soldiers and their families; army life; combat; commitment to (and disaffection with) Union war aims; the fading prospects of the Confederacy; African-American soldiers; and - coming full circle - the importance of surviving letters as family heirlooms and national treasures.For his part; Bonner states that a central aim of his book was to "restore soldiers' individuality." (p. 4). To be sure; he is not the first scholar to draw on soldier correspondence and diaries to provide insights into the lives of Civil War soldiers and sailors. Still; Bonner makes the salient point that previous studies often turn into a "collective portrait;" drawing on snippets from dozens; if not hundreds; of pieces of correspondence to examine how "they" marched; fought; and returned home. By concentrating his study on longer excerpts from fewer soldiers; Bonner is able to avoid the trap and instead maintain the personal in what he deems an impersonal war.The reproduction of more than a dozen drawings from the sketchpad of an anonymous Massachusetts infantryman - known only as "George" - is worth the price of the book. If not as talented; this soldier's drawings of the vagaries of soldier life are every bit as comical and insightful as Bill Mauldin's famous "Willie and Joe" cartoons from World War II. "George's" lampooning of the northern press's enthusiastic (and exaggerated) coverage of the taking of a Confederate outhouse deserves to be a classic.The book does have two major flaws; the most glaring of these is the lack of an index. Want to know what soldiers thought of McClellan? of Lincoln? of food? of homeguards? of African-American soldiers? You'll have to read the book and hunt for it yourself. The other major flaw is the lack of a substantial bibliography apart from detailed catalog records from the Gilder Lehrman Collection. In this matter; it fails as a launching point for further research by an interested reader; others may not be satisfied at Bonner's assertions (as statements of fact) on points for which there may be disagreement among scholars.It is the contents that make this book what it is; though; the letters; diary entries; and artwork from these soldiers deserve a wide audience - especially for those interested in "bottom up" history - and in this; Bonner has succeeded.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Bonner writes clearly and it is easy to followBy Jonah D. ConnerI thought it was well presented; a mix of letters; historical background; maps; drawings; etc. Bonner writes clearly and it is easy to follow.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Soldiers PenBy A. Bryant BetsillThis book delivers only a topical overview of the day to day life of a Civil War soldier. As the title suggest; Robert Bonner uses actual letters from the soldier in the field that were sent home and kept. There were slim chances of a letter from home being kept by a soldier in the field; under camp conditions. The author writes a brief introduction about the men he chose to feature in the book. There are thousands of such archived letters and hundreds more have just recently been made available to researchers. This book is more of a "Cliff Notes" introduction into the social side of the Civil War soldier.
