1775 - 1863
Congregational
minister, educator, and vocal leader of American Protestants, Lyman
Beecher embodied the shift from the harsh, demanding Puritan faith
of the Second Great Awakening to a religion that found its expression in
larger society. Beecher first received wide public recognition in 1806,
with a sermon he gave against dueling after the death of Alexander Hamilton
in a duel with Aaron Burr. From 1810 to 1826, as a minister in Litchfield,
Connecticut, Beecher and his wife also ran a school for girls, with an
unusually practical and serious curriculum. In 1833, Beecher and his family
moved to Cincinnati, where he became president of the Lane Theological
Seminary, a training ground for the religious leaders of the abolition
movement. Beecher's ability to carry religious principles into daily life
deeply influenced his children, especially Catharine Beecher, who became
a national voice for practical domestic management, and Harriet
Beecher Stowe, the best-selling author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
The widespread fame of this virtuous family led a contemporary to joke,
"This country is inhabited by saints, sinners, and Beechers."
This
hand-colored image represents the fine work of a Brady colorist.
Mathew Brady Studio Hand-colored photograph, circa 1856
18.4 x 15.2 cm (7 1/4 x 6 inches); 19.7 x 15.9 cm (7 3/4 x 6 1/2 inches)
in case
George Sullivan