The Wisdom of Generosity: A Reader in American Philanthropy

by William L. Jackson

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781602580596
Publisher:	Baylor University Press
Publication date:	11/01/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	461
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.90(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

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).

Table of Contents

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

What People are Saying About This

Jackson presents generosity as the uniting power of American society's success.

Claire Gaudiani

Jackson presents generosity as the uniting power of American society's success.

Bill Richardson

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.

Editorial Reviews

Jackson presents generosity as the uniting power of American society's success.

-Claire Gaudiani, Professor, New York University, George Heyman Center on Philanthropy

From the Publisher