Irish Presbyterians and America After 1783: Religion, Slavery, Identity

Most accounts of Irish Presbyterians and America end in 1776. This, however, obscures the significant religious and cultural links across the Atlantic that were reinforced in the following century, and which continue to shape transatlantic connections.

This talk considers the persistence of Presbyterian emigration and religious connections. It explores the tensions that developed owing to the demand of Irish Presbyterians for the immediate abolition of slavery in the United States.

It shows how relations were reset after the Civil War thanks to a shared culture of religious revivalism and the development of a Scotch-Irish identity.