When people think of the First Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is one of the figures most associated with the revivals in the American colonies. While he was a minister in Northampton, Mass., Edwards gained a reputation as a powerful orator and was known for sermons like "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". After leaving Northampton, Edwards acted as pastor in Stockbridge, Mass., which was a missionary post to the Mahican and Mohawk natives of the area. The following is a portrait of Edwards.
Jonathan Edwards' son, Jonathan Edwards (1745-1801), may be less well known today, but he still had an accomplished career. The younger Edwards became a minister, but he held different opinions than his father, such as opposing slavery. The younger Edwards also wrote on the American Indian languages. The following is an portrait of Jonathan Edwards, the younger, from when he was President of Union College.
For more information please search our online catalog. For the elder, search "Edwards, Jonathan, 1703-1758", and, for the younger, search "Edwards, Jonathan, 1745-1801". For a good biography of the elder Jonathan Edwards, I recommend George M. Marsden's A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards, which I read during my studies at Simmons College.
--Abraham
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