The Quiet People of the Land: A Story of the North Carolina Moravians in Revolutionary Times

Armed with information and insight gleaned from immersion in the rich Moravian archives, the author recounts here the details of Moravian life during the turbulent years of the American Revolution. The result is a story of the courage, the struggles, and the strengths of one of the most distinctive minority groups in American culture. The Brethren had been permitted by an act of Parliament to refuse military induction without going to jail and to affirm rather than to swear their public oaths In addition, a North Carolina law of 1755 allowed them to set up and support their own parish government, a right denied to all other non-Anglican settlers. Although the industrious inhabitants of Wachovia had good reason for remaining neutral in this war, they endured not only the mistrust but also the de3predations of Patriots and Tories alike, Residents in an area in which active military operations were taking place, the Moravians were required to exercise tact and forbearance in order to maintain both the security and the integrity of their settlement. This study brings into clear relief certain little-known facets of the war in the back country. It shows how the religious faith of the Moravians, combined with a thoroughgoing knowledge of political realities, enabled them to survive the war without losing either their land or the commercial advantages they had enjoyed since the founding of Bethabara in 1753. The author closes his account with a discussion of the post-Revolutionary trends that brought radical change to the Moravian way of life. This book provides an expanded understanding of the thought and behavior of Moravian people in North Carolina during a stressful and difficult period. It is a splendid of history received from primary sources and restored with style and vigor.