Introduction
This week’s focus is on Samuel Davies. While lesser known than Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield, he also played a prominent role in the Great Awakening and in setting the tone for the American Revolution. He is known to some as the Apostle of Dissent, and he had a heavy influence on the lives of many, many people. Yet most Americans would have no idea who Davies was if asked. It is likely that many have never even heard the name. So, in the interest of teaching readers about America’s history in both its glories and its flaws, we now turn our attention to an examination of Davies’ life and accomplishments.
Who was Samuel Davies?
Samuel Davies was a Presbyterian pastor who worked mostly in Virginia. According to Tim and David Barton in their book The American Story, Davies “served as a lawyer and became a noted educator” (The American Story, pg 106). Not much is known about Davies’ earlier life, but it is known that he attended Samuel Blair’s “log college” at Fagg’s Manor, PA, and was ordained as a minister in the year 1747. According to Britannica, his work “centred at Hanover, Va.; in Virginia, where Presbyterians were persecuted as Nonconformists by the established church leaders, he became a chief defender of the Dissenters” (Britannica, Samuel Davies). Throughout his life, Davies impacted many people, but among the most notable were perhaps Patrick Henry and George Washington. We will explore these connections a bit later on.
Samuel Davies’ Defense of the Dissenters
One of the things that Samuel Davies was best known for was his ardent defense of the Dissenters, a group of Christians heavily persecuted by the predominantly Anglican clergy in Virginia. His defense and the opposition he face in court in the form of Peyton Randolph. The contention was so grave and persistent that Davies came to regard Randolph as his fiercest adversary on the front of religious freedom for the Dissenters in Anglican-controlled Virginia. Nevertheless, while it was difficult for non-Anglican congregations and pastors, Davies did pastor for several sizeable churches throughout Virginia. This led to further issues with the State-run church and the courts, as he indicates in his letter to a friend on the state of religion among the Presbyterian Christian community.
The situation he describes led to one pastor or minister traveling among many communities to provide the congregations with ministers because there simply were not enough non-Anglican, Protestant ministers to go around thanks to the lack of welcome and the hostility they faced in the Southern colonies. As Randolph stated the problem as one of licensing and raising funds as, “one Preacher may have License for more than one House licensed for one Preacher…when our Clergy are confined to a single Parish.” This, Randolph said, could only lead to dissension and confusion among the people with only one pastor for so many church communities and, he claimed, could “only be calculated to put money into the Pocket of the Teacher.”
His focus on religious liberties for all Christians, not just a few was to result in many changes. It empowered other Presbyterian ministers to take a stand in the hope of making a difference in Virginia’s religious environment. As Britannica states, “The stress that Davies placed on religious rights and freedoms resulted (after his death) in the lobbying of Presbyterian leaders who, during the formation of Virginia’s state constitution, helped to defeat a provision for an established church” (Britannica, Samuel Davies).
Samuel Davies — First Missionary to the Slaves
Among other major ways Davies influenced life in the colonies was his insistence upon educating and evangelizing the slaves throughout the colonies. Since he operated in Virginia, this was his main base of operations. According to Davies himself, he met little to no opposition to this. In an article written by journalist and assistant professor of history (University of Colorado, Boulder) George William Pilcher for The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Pilcher writes that “the New Light pastor and future president of the College of New Jersey felt it his duty to teach the principles of Christianity to all who would listen and learn without regard to race or condition of servitude. Thus, Davies gradually assumed the role of pastor and educator of the Negro” (Samuel Davies and the Instruction of the Negroes in Virginia, Jul 1966 edition).
His endeavors had great success, and missions societies in England often donated books to his ministry. Because of his work, many of the slaves in the congregation or in surrounding areas learned to read. Davies would pass out spellers to any of them who came wishing to learn to read, and once they had learned to read, he would give them their own copies of the Bible, the Psalms, books of sermons, and other religious texts. According to Pilcher, “Such pride [in his work among the slaves of Hanover county] was not unjustified. Within two short years after his settlement in Virginia, at least a dozen Negros had become communicants of the Presbyterian church; within another year, he [Davies] claimed to have baptized ‘about forty of them’; and by 1755, he was able to report about three hundred attended his services and that ‘a considerable number of them (about an hundred) have been baptized after a proper time of instruction'” (Samuel Davies and the Instruction of the Negroes in Virginia, Jul 1966 edition).
Samuel Davies had a strong belief that all people were equal in their spiritual need for salvation and in their possession of a soul. This was one of the key reasons why he chose to evangelize slaves when no one else had. The predominant and very unfortunate view of many in the Southern and even in the Northern colonies was that slaves did not have souls. Davies found this belief disgusting and viewed any master who neglected his slaves’ spiritual needs to be bigoted and cruel.
Samuel Davies’ Attitude Toward Slaves
Despite this belief, Davies did own at least two slaves in his lifetime. It is unclear where these slaves were acquired, though it is known that he made an inquiry to a close friend about purchasing a slave at one point. Isabela Morales, the project manager for Princeton’s Princeton and Slavery project, notes that “Davies’s slaves may also have been given to him as a gift by his congregation in Hanover—a common practice in southern churches at the time” (Samuel Davies). So it is possible that this is where Davies acquired his two slaves. Nevertheless, there is no clear record to indicate where he had them, only that he admitted to as much by his own words when he told the slaves he was preaching to that “You know I have shewn a tender concern for your welfare, ever since I have been in the colony: and you may ask my own negroes whether I treat them kindly or no.”
However, Davies’ attitude towards slaves and the treatment of them as well as their own humanity was much better developed than that of most of that day. Pilcher notes that “One of his sermons was addressed specifically to slave holders outlining their duties to Negros. Here he emphasized the necessity of humane treatment and constantly referred to the slaves as human beings and members of the master’s family. Children and slaves were spoken of in the same breath; both deserved the same attention” (Samuel Davies and the Instruction of the Negroes in Virginia, Jul 1966 edition). The author continues on to say that “the New Light Preacher’s sermon on family religion best revealed his attitude toward the Negroes. In that he spoke of all members of a family–children, slaves, and parents–in exactly the same way and as possessing the same religious duties and privileges” (Samuel Davies and the Instruction of the Negroes in Virginia, Jul 1966 edition).
This attitude toward both the humanity and the possession of souls on the part of the slaves was unusual in a time when even those who disapproved of slavery suspected the slaves might be less human or without a soul. Given the prevailing beliefs at the time, it is little wonder the level of success Davies had with the enslaved community of blacks in Hanover. He treated them as human even though he exhorted them to act as became Christians who were in service to another. While he did seem to lack an understanding of or ignore the passages in the Old Testament where manstealing (or taking a man from his home to sell him into slavery to another) was prohibited and punishable by death, he did grasp well the duties that any master or slave had to one another as Christians to treat each other with kindness, respect, and as family members. While his work did not inspire the Southern colonies to give up the abhorrent practice of slavery, it went a long way toward changing the minds of the owners on the humanity and possession of souls that their slaves had.
This, Davies believed, was evidenced by the general willingness of many in the area to have their slaves attend Davies’ services with them and with other non-slave members of Virginian society. Sadly, Davies’ work would be largely reversed as hysteria over possible slave revolts and fear that slaves might rise up and kill their masters led the Southern colonies to eventually ban any slave from learning to read. This movement was largely responsible for deteriorating treatment of the slaves and for the lack of education among them, particularly in areas where they had before been educated to read and in the principles of Christianity much the same as other free men of lower incomes might be.
Samuel Davies and His Influence on the Founding
Samuel Davies was to have a great impact upon two Founding Fathers in particular. The first was Washington and was more of an indirect influence. When Davies was preaching sermons for military deployment and working to raise a fervor for defending their colonies within his fellow Virginians, the Bartons state that one such message included notes on the “miraculous Divine intervention that had just saved Washington’s life during Gen. Edward Braddock’s devastating defeat in Pennsylvania when Washington was serving with the British during the French and Indian War” (The American Story, pg 106). This sermon’s reference to Washington, who was not largely known at the time, was published in both the colonies and England, and it was responsible for drawing a great deal of attention to the up and coming Washington, who would later become one of the best known figures in the Revolutionary War.
His impact on a young Patrick Henry was much more direct. He was the pastor for Patrick Henry as a child. Henry’s mother joined Davies’ congregation after being kicked out of her own church for becoming Protestant instead of Baptist. It was under Davies’ preaching each week that Henry’s oratorical skills were to be influenced and shaped. Henry would become one of the best known figures in the Revolutionary War alongside Washington, and he would earn the title of “The Voice of the Revolution” and “The Orator of Liberty”. If not for Davies’ influence on him, he might never have become the great orator he did. Henry openly acknowledge Davies to be “the greatest orator he ever heard”.
Davies also influenced the Founding by his preaching and his work. He was well known for his work amongst the slaves in Hanover county, and his work to establish religious liberty was also a well-known fact, at least to many Virginians. Washington, Henry, and Jefferson–all of whom were from Virginia–would have known about Davies if not through acquaintance then at least through news of his work. His work garnered the attention even of prominent figures such as the Wesley brothers in England and was no secret in the rest of the colonies either. Certainly his influence in Henry’s life was echoed in Henry’s staunch support of religious freedom, and his fight for freedom of religion was seen to be clearly carried on in the concerns and insistences upon creating a country where all would be free to worship God in accordance with their own conscience. Thomas Jefferson himself, after reviewing the newly written Constitution due to being unable to attend the convention in person, wrote back to other delegates and implored them to include modifications to it that would ensure the federal government would not interfere with religion. Jefferson was a strong advocate for the Bill of Rights, as were others in Virginia. Henry staunchly opposed the new Constitution because it did not have a Bill of Rights guaranteeing the liberties of every citizen equally. His beliefs on the necessity of the protection of rights was undoubtedly influenced by what he saw as a young person and what he heard while under Davies’ preaching. As Henry famously said, “Show me that age and country where the rights and liberties of the people were placed on the sole chance of their rulers being good men without a consequent loss of liberty! I say that the loss of that dearest privilege has ever followed, with absolute certainty, every such mad attempt.”
His concerns reflected the overall views of patriotism, religious liberty, and overall liberty held by not only Davies but many of the other preachers of the Great Awakening. Their messages were widely read and in many cases were distributed in support of the Revolutionary War. Messages from various preachers who supported liberty were even distributed to the men who would become the Founding Fathers as they were working to form the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. It is not certain that Davies’ sermons were among those distributed, but it is beyond a doubt that his broad influence and teachings were known to most if not all of the Founding Fathers before the war even began, and it was the sentiments held by Davies, Edwards, and Whitefield that they were to echo as they carried on the torch these ministers provided to create a nation that would enjoy some of the greatest liberties and freedoms ever seen in history, both then and since.
Conclusion
So we see yet another great man who influenced our Founding and did a great deal to shape the religious environment and stage upon which the Revolutionary War would occur. We have a few more stops to make to highlight other ministers who were highly influential in the Founding of America for the sake of completeness, but by this time, it should be readily apparent even to the greatest skeptic, that Christianity and the pastors of the time played no small part in preparing the way for the principles and beliefs that would bring America prosperity to flourish and spread like wildfire throughout the country.
A Note on the Upcoming Articles and the Philosophies to be Examined
The last few ministers we will cover pre-Revolutionary War and the Founding will be Elisha Williams and Jonathan Mayhew. After that, we will begin to systematically examine the Founding Fathers to prove that, yet again, Christianity was their foundation and the root of their philosophies regarding freedom. It is my hope that as we begin to examine these great men, not only will our vision of them as heroes be renewed based upon the facts and not on the myths, lies, and bad history that now abounds in American public schools, but also that readers will walk away with a clearer understanding of the philosophy that led to the prosperity and freedom we now take for granted in America. It is my hope that you will clearly comprehend the link that the Founding Fathers so firmly avowed had to be there between liberty and Christian principles in order for a country to remain prosperous, free, and happy. It is these principles and philosophies which so many are today abandoning that our Founders claimed were the only foundation that liberty could stand upon for any great length of time. The dangers of abandoning those philosophies are great.
As we have seen here, Davies’ philosophy led to his choice to act upon a belief that many considered radical, and his choice led to the education of hundreds of slaves. It led to many more than he ever personally helped learning to read as the slaves he had helped in turn aided their fellow slaves in also learning to read and in learning the tenants of Christianity. The philosophy that a man holds will determine his course. A bad philosophy will lead to harm. A good one will lead to prosperity in so far as our choices will allow. Davies is a clear example of this, and the effects of his philosophy upon a nation were far-reaching and many. As we examine others whose philosophies also impacted the nation greatly, it is my prayer that you will understand why their philosophies led to such prosperity or, in some cases, to a great deal of harm. It does us no good to know what someone did and the success or failure it brought if we do not understand the why or the philosophy behind it.
Resources
Bost, George H. “Samuel Davies, Preacher of the Great Awakening“. Journal of the Presbyterian Society, Vol. 26, No. 2, Jun 1948.
Davies, Samuel. “The State of Religion Among the Protestant Dissenters of Virginia“. GreatAwakeningDocumentary.com.
Davies, Samuel. “Letter from Samuel Davies to Joseph Bellamy“. GreatAwakeningDocumentary.com.
Morales, Isabella. “Samuel Davies“. Princeton and Slavery.
Pilcher, George William. “Samuel Davies and the Instruction of the Negros in Virginia“. The Virginia Magazine of History, Vol 74, No 3, Jul 1966.
Samuel Davies: Biography, Britannica.com, last updated Oct 30, 2020.
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “Samuel Davies, Peyton Randolph, and the Act of Toleration in Virginia“. The American Revolution (ouramericanrevolution.org).
Bill of Rights Institute. “Patrick Henry“. BRI.
