William Jackson bestows a rich collection that presents the depth of American generosity. Drawing upon an abundant variety of genres--myths, proverbs, poems, letters, short stories, news stories, folktales, sermons, and essays--this interesting and useful collection documents the religious dimensions of American philanthropy. The Wisdom of Generosity not only chronicles the manifestations of philanthropy but also reveals philanthropy's integral connection with American history and how Americans are still striving to fulfill their original promises. This Reader offers classic yet fresh resources for reflecting on the heritage of American giving.
William Jackson (Ph.D. Harvard University) is Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis and Lake Scholar at the Lake Family Institute on Faith and Giving. He is the author of 11 books, including, most recently Worldviews Kaleidoscope (2007), Vijayanagara Visions: Religious Experience and Cultural Creativity in a South Indian Empire (2007), and Heaven's Fractal Net: Retrieving Lost Visions in the Humanities (2004).
List of Permissions List of Illustrations Preface Part I Our Roots in the Wisdom of Nature and Christian Charity 1600-1700 Epigraph Belle Deacon The People's Stories Stories Northwest Native American (1) After the Storm; A Miser Becomes Generous Northwest Native American (2) Collapse of a Bridge Northwest Native American (3) Coyote Frees the Salmon from Klamath River Alaskan Man Saved by Salmon Fin Hawaiian The Breadfruit Tree; The Breadfruit Offering Cherokee How Red Strawberries Brought Peace in the Woods Poem Benjamin Tompson New England's Crisis Colonial and Puritan Stories Anthony Benezet Africans Captured in Slave Trade Described as Civil and Charitable Captain John Smith A Drunken Ship with Gilded Dirt Alexander Whitaker Good News from Virginia Leaders of Virginia A Benevolent Plan for Orphan Apprentices John Winthrop A Model of Christian Charity On Roger Williams History of American Literature by Moses Coit Tyler Peter Stuyvesant (and others) Correspondence Regarding the First Jews in New Amsterdam, and Their Need to Provide for Themselves Ezechiel Carre The Charitable Samaritan Anne Bradstreet Meditations Divine and Moral Eusebio Francisco Kino ""Bloodless Martyrdom"" for the Padre On Father Eusebio Kino and the Southwest United States The Great Southwest by Elna Bakker and Richard G. Lillary William Penn No Cross, No Crown; Fruits of Solitude Ancient Writings that Influenced the Colonists Aesop Four Fables on Greed and Good Deeds Seneca Of Benefits; Of Intentions and Effects; Of Judgment in the Bestowal of Benefits; Of Requital; Of How the Receiver Should Act; Of Ingratitude Passages on Giving from the Bible Old Testament; New Testament John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion A Contemporary Essay On The New England Mind The New England Mind by Perry Miller Epilogue I Expect to Pass Through Part II Philanthropy and Liberty in the Enlightenment Era 1700 OCo1800 Epigraph Anonymous Philanthropy Stories Winnebago Tribe Wak'djunk'aga's Appetite Incites Greed and Causes Him Grief
Jackson presents generosity as the uniting power of American society's success. -Claire Gaudiani, Professor, New York University, George Heyman Center on Philanthropy
