The East Side Freedom Library and the University of Minnesota History Department invite you to this discussion.

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When the United States was new, a lapsed minister named Elihu Palmer shared with his fellow Americans the radical idea that virtue required no religious foundation. A better source for morality, he said, could be found in the natural world: the interconnected web of life that inspired compassion for all living things. Religions that deny these universal connections should be discarded, he insisted. For this, his Christian critics denounced him as a heretic whose ideas endangered the country. Although his publications and speaking tours made him one of the most infamous American freethinkers in his day, Elihu Palmer has been largely forgotten.

Kirsten Fischer received her Ph.D. from Duke University. Her first book, Suspect Relations: Sex, Race, and Resistance in Colonial North Carolina (Cornell, 2002), explores the dynamics of racism in the 18th century. It focuses on the interactions of ordinary people in a slave society, and on the way their intimate relationships, and the treatment of these in court, made racial difference seem increasingly real. Although an early Americanist by training, Fischer’s research and teaching include much 20th-century history, with a focus on the “culture wars” over religion and politics. She is also interested in memoir as a lens into the past, and offers courses on “History through Memoir.”

Jon Butler is Howard R. Lamar Emeritus Professor of American Studies, History, and Religious Studies at Yale University and Research Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. He is a past president of the Organization of American Historians.

Do I need to read the book to attend this gathering?

You do not! History Book Club gatherings are designed to be enjoyed by any history lover, whether or not you’ve read the featured book.

University of Pennsylvania Press has offered a special discount for this event. Those who purchase the book through their website may use the coupon code EPALMER30-FM to receive a 30% discount and free shipping.