The Wisdom of Generosity
A Reader in American Philanthropy
By William L. Jackson
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Subjects: All Religious Studies, Philanthropy |
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.
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 •1800
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
A graceful collection of human expression, The Wisdom of Generosity powerfully demonstrates the formative role generosity has played in America’s past. With editorial finesse, Jackson ties together an array of cultural and historical perspectives with one common thread: the power of giving.
—Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico
William J. 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 more than eleven books, including 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).
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