Convulsed States

Earthquakes, Prophecy, and the Remaking of Early America

By: Jonathan Todd Hancock

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Paperback | 30 April 2021

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204 Pages

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15.5 x 23.4 x 1.6

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The New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-12 were the strongest temblors in the North American interior in at least the past five centuries. From the Great Plains to the Atlantic Coast and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, a broad cast of thinkers struggled to explain these seemingly unprecedented natural phenomena. They summoned a range of traditions of inquiry into the natural world and drew connections among signs of environmental, spiritual, and political disorder on the cusp of the War of 1812. Drawn from extensive archival research, Convulsed States probes their interpretations to offer insights into revivalism, nation remaking, and the relationship between religious and political authority across Native nations and the United States in the early nineteenth century. With a compelling narrative and rigorous comparative analysis, Jonathan Todd Hancock uses the earthquakes to bridge historical fields and shed new light on this pivotal era of nation remaking.

Through varied peoples' efforts to come to grips with the New Madrid earthquakes, Hancock reframes early nineteenth-century North America as a site where all of its inhabitants wrestled with fundamental human questions amid prophecies, political reinventions, and war.

Industry Reviews

Convulsed States models a new kind of American religious history, one that works across traditional scholarly divides and uncovers fascinating and unexpected connections among disparate peoples, events, and cultures."--Journal of Church and State

An incredibly impressive debut monograph, one that will benefit greatly the religious historians of the early American republic. Hancock should be applauded for his exhaustive archival research and careful examination of the varieties and nuances of Christian and Native religiosity. By using the New Madrid earthquakes as a window into the world of early Americans, Hancock demonstrates how religion remained a powerful vehicle in the struggle for the North American continent."--Reading Religion

An innovative work that ties together studies of the environment and natural disasters with studies of religion and politics. . . . With impeccable research and pulling from a multitude of sources, Hancock explores the significance and understanding of the New Madrid Earthquakes for people across racial, geographical, and educational lines."--H-Environment

Hancock is a gifted cultural historian. . . . Convulsed States will appeal to scholarly and popular audiences alike."--North Carolina Historical Review

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