The Furnace of Affliction: Prisons and Religion in Antebellum America

248 Pages·2011·6.85 MB·English

by  Jennifer Graber

The Furnace of Affliction
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The Furnace of
Affliction
Prisons & Religion in Antebellum America
Jennifer Graber
The University of North Carolina Press
Chapel Hill
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© 2011 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved. Set in Minion Pro by Rebecca Evans.
Manufactured in the United States of America
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council
on Library Resources. The University of North Carolina Press has been a
member of the Green Press Initiative since 2003.
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n- Publication Data
Graber, Jennifer, 1973–
The furnace of affliction : prisons and religion
in antebellum America / Jennifer Graber.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978- 0- 8078- 3457- 2 (alk. paper)
1. Religious work with prisoners — United States — History — 19th century.
2. Corrections — United States — History — 19th century.
3. Prisoners — United States — Religious life — History — 19th century.
4. Protestantism — United States — History — 19th century. I. Title.
HV8865.G73 2011
365ʹ.665097309034 — dc22
2010034641
A portion of this book previously appeared, in somewhat different form,
as “‘When Friends Had the Management It Was Entirely Different’: Quakers and
Calvinists in the Making of New York Prison Discipline,” Quaker History 97,
no. 2 (Fall 2008): 19–40. Used by permission.
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In loving memory of
Robert Michael Woods
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Contents
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction 1
chapter 1
The Prison as Garden, 1796–1804 15
chapter 2
The Furnace of Affliction, 1805–1823 47
chapter 3
The Furnace at Auburn, 1816–1827 73
chapter 4
The Furnace at Sing Sing, 1828–1839 103
chapter 5
The Furnace Transformed, 1840–1847 135
chapter 6
The Prison as Hell, 1848–1860 157
Epilogue 179
Notes 185 Bibliography 209 Index 223
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Illustrations
Front elevation and ground plan of Newgate, 1797 31
Frontispiece from John Stanford, The Prisoner’s Companion 59
Architectural plan for Auburn State Prison 81
Auburn prisoners in lockstep 83
Woodcut illustration from
A Peep into the State Prison at Auburn, N.Y. 133
Frontispiece from John Luckey, Prison Sketches 169
Illustration from an 1858 Harper’s Weekly article
on controversial punishments 172
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