The period between 1776-1826 signalled a major change in how Jewish identity was understood both by Jews and non-Jews throughout the Americas. Jews in the Americas, 1776-1826 brings this world of change to life by uniting important out-of-print primary sources on early American Jewish life with rare archival materials that can currently be found only in special collections in Europe, England, the United States, and the Caribbean.
This comprehensive collection of print and manuscript sources offers an illuminating history of one of the New World's few non-Christian communities of European origin. Issues such as race, intermarriage and slavery - overlooked in previous literature - are included and put in context. Wider issues of society, culture and economy are also considered, with the careers of several important Jewish merchants providing an insight into the economic history of the colonial and early republican eras. The sources in this collection come from the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. They include texts translated from Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Hebrew, making them accessible to most scholars for the first time.
The third volume covers the period from 1860 to 1920, beginning with the Jews, slavery, and the Civil War, and concluding with the rise of Reform Judaism as well as the increasing spirit of secularization that characterized emancipated, prosperous, liberal Jewry before it was confronted by a rising tide of American anti-Semitism in the 1920s.
In The Colonial American Jew, Jacob Rader Marcus tells of the distinctive and significant history of American Jews. His basic premise is that the Jews constitute a "people"-united by common institutions, traditions, beliefs, an inspiring past, and an unusually strong sense of kinship. Marcus traces Jewish life in the western world from 1492 when the first Jews came to America with Columbus. He sketches a history of settlements in South America and the Caribbean and follows the move of organized Jewry to New Amsterdam in North America and on to other communities in many of the fourteen colonies. After discussing the founding of these significant settlements, Marcus's approach becomes topical. He has included sections on the legal status and the economic development of the early settlers and on the social welfare and educational practices of the Jewish communities. In the final section he analyzes the Jews' integration into the larger American community.
The first volume contains articles on a variety of areas including Jewish involvement in the War of Independence and in the American Revolution, the New York Jewish Community of the time and a look at the Dutch and English Jews of the period.
The first synagogue in colonial America was built in New York City in 1730 on land that was purchased for £100 plus a loaf of sugar and one pound of Bohea tea. The purchase of this land was especially noteworthy because until this time, the Jews had only been permitted to buy land for use as a cemetery. However, by the time the Revolutionary War began, the Jewish religious center had become fairly large. Early in their stay in New Amsterdam and New York, many Jews considered themselves to be transients. Therefore, they were not interested in voting, holding office or equal rights. However, as the 18th century came to a close, Jews were able to accumulate large estates, and they recognized that they needed citizenship. After a brief overview of the Jews' migrations around Europe, the West Indies and the North and South American continents, this book describes the hardships faced by the Jewish people, beginning with New Amsterdam and New York and continuing with discussions of their experiences in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, New England, and in the South. Subsequent chapters discuss anti-Semitism, slavery and the Jews' transformation from immigrant status to American citizen.
