Title: The root of all evil
First published: 1997
Description: In The Root of All Evil Kenneth Moore Startup looks to the sermons and writings of Protestant clergy to better understand the driving forces behind the antebellum southern economy. During this period of unprecedented American expansion, he finds, clerics of all denominations on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line displayed a remarkable unanimity in their condemnation of mammonism - the open pursuit of wealth, conspicuous consumption, lack of charity, and contempt of honest labor.

This trend, the clergy argued, was diverting both North and South from their best interests and would ultimately destroy the nation. The Root of All Evil represents a challenge to any notion of an economically disinterested southern mind and culture by revealing an Old South in line ideologically with the mainstream of nineteenth-century capitalism, and also provides useful insights into southern religious life.
Subjects: Christianity, Church history, Clergy, Economic conditions, Economics, History, History of doctrines, Protestant churches, Religious aspects, Religious aspects of Economics, Episcopal church, clergy, Economics, religious aspects, Southern states, church history, Southern states, economic conditions, 19th century american history - religious aspects, Economic conditions in the united states, Economics - religious & moral aspects, General & miscellaneous protestantism, Southern region - history - general & miscellaneous, U.s. church history, Religion -
Places: Southern States
Time periods: 19th century
LC classification: BR535 .S73 1997