Date
12-5-2022
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Chair
Robert Glenn Slater
Keywords
Cherokee, Moravians, missiology, Springplace, Vann, Gambold, Zinzendorf, assimilation
Disciplines
History | Religion
Recommended Citation
Smith, Ethan T., "Moravians Amongst the Cherokees: An Account of the Springplace Mission" (2022). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 3996.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3996
Abstract
This work is a study of the relationships that were built between two people groups that resulted in a harmonious culture being established between the Cherokees and the Moravians during the 19th century. Often, too little credit is given to the Moravians for their work amongst the Cherokees during a most tumultuous period for the Natives, however, this work highlights the cultural barriers that were broken as a result of the labor undertaken by the Brethren at Springplace, Georgia on James Vann’s Diamond Hill Plantation at the turn of the 19th century. Furthermore, this study concludes by showcasing the lasting effects of the assimilative, relational measures as produced between the Moravians and the Cherokees, and how these relationships continue to affect the Cherokee Indians today.
