Princeton and the Republic, 1768-1822

Book excerpt: Widely viewed during the Revolutionary period as a champion of both republicanism and evangelical Calvinism, the College of New Jersey nonetheless experienced great inner turmoil as its leaders tried to support the stability of the new nation by integrating sound principles of science and faith. Focusing on three presidencies--those of John Witherspoon, Samuel Stanhope Smith, and Ashbel Green--Mark Noll relates the dramatic institutional history of what is now Princeton University, a history closely related to the intellectual development of the early republic. Noll examines in detail the student rebellions and the trustees' disillusionment with the college, which, despite Witherspoon's and Stanhope Smith's efforts to harmonize traditional Reformed faith with a moderate Scottish enlightenment, led to the establishment of a separate Presbyterian seminary in 1812. As a cultural and intellectual history of the early United States, this book deepens our understanding of how science, religion, and politics interacted during the period. Close attention is given to the Scottish philosophy of common sense, which Stanhope Smith developed into an educational vision that he hoped would encourage a stable social order. Mark A. Noll (PhD, Vanderbilt University) teaches Christian thought and church history at Wheaton College. He is author of more than ten books, including Religion and American Politics, Christian