Description

Congregational churches could be found in nearly every town across New England in the 1770s. The stories of Patriot ministers who inspired their congregations to Revolution have long been told. Increasingly we are learning more about the experience of the people sitting in the pews and how being part of a Congregational church community shaped their experience of the celebrated ideals–and the sometimes harsh realities–of the revolutionary cause. Printed sermons, pamphlets, and histories; manuscript church and association records; and even paintings in the CLA’s collection help tell a story that is both familiar and not.