Josiah Priest facts for kids
Josiah Priest (1788–1861) was an American writer in the early 1800s. He wrote many books and pamphlets about history and archaeology. His books sold thousands of copies.
Even though Priest didn't seem to have much formal education, he tried to present himself as an expert. Today, many people see Priest as one of the first writers of pseudoscientific (fake science) and pseudohistoric (fake history) books. His work was widely read and published many times. However, his theories were used to justify unfair treatment and harm towards both Native American and African-American peoples. Priest's writings were among the most racist of his time. His offensive ideas helped create a path for events like the Trail of Tears and arguments for slavery, which contributed to the American Civil War.
Contents
Early Life
Priest was born in Unadilla, New York. He grew up when the United States was just becoming a new nation. We don't know much about his schooling. But it's thought he had a basic education.
At age 24, he married Eliza Perry from Lansingburgh, New York. After a short time in Lansingburgh, they moved to Albany, New York, around 1819. In Albany, Priest first worked as a coach "trimmer" or upholsterer. Later, he worked with leather, making saddles and harnesses. He and Eliza had ten children.
Priest was known for his dramatic way of speaking during church sermons. Some of his sermons were even published. His strong belief in the exact words of the Bible is clear throughout his writings. Josiah Priest knew Oliver Cowdery, who later helped Joseph Smith, Jr. create the Book of Mormon.
Writing Career
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Priest decided to stop working with leather and become a writer. His first book was called The Wonders of Nature and Providence, Displayed (1826). This book was about strange natural events and adventures. Today, this type of writing is sometimes called cryptozoology, which is the study of hidden or unknown animals.
His other important books were American Antiquities and Discoveries of the West (1833) and Slavery, As It Relates to the Negro (1843). Each of these books was published many times.
One writer, Winthrop Hillyer Duncan, said that Priest's writings about early American history could be seen as science fiction or fantasy. Some people even think he was a pioneer for the popular "dime novels" of later years.
American Antiquities (1833)
This 400-page book was based on Priest's own study of the Bible and old journals about ancient things. He also used information from his travels. After visiting ancient earthworks (large mounds of earth) in Ohio and New York, Priest decided that these mounds were built by a "lost race" of people. He believed this race lived in America even before Native Americans.
This idea is now known as the "mound builder myth." It still has some supporters today, even though it's not true. The book became popular because of Priest's views on Native Americans. He believed that Native Americans were dangerous and violent. He thought it was impossible for a group of people he saw as lazy to build such large, complex structures.
Priest thought the original builders might have been the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. He used his own interpretation of the Bible's flood story to support his ideas. According to Priest, after the great flood, Noah and his ark landed in America. While looking around, Noah supposedly found mounds built before the flood.
Priest couldn't decide if the mounds were built by Polynesians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Israelites, Scandinavians, Welsh, Scotts, or Chinese. But he was sure Native Americans had not built them.
Priest's strong bias against Native Americans likely came from stories he heard during the American Indian Wars. After the American Revolution, Native Americans were often shown as dangerous threats by the dominant culture.
Slavery, As It Relates to the Negro (1843)
Another book where Priest used his interpretation of the Bible was Slavery, As It Relates to the Negro, Or African Race (1843). In this very racist book, Priest tried to use parts of the Bible to "prove" that God created black people to be slaves.
Priest claimed that Noah's three sons were each a different color. He said the black son was named Ham. Priest claimed this word was used by Egyptians to mean black things. He then said that Ham was cursed from birth to be a servant. As a result of Ham's supposed sins, all his descendants would also be slaves. Priest wrote that making this group of people servants and slaves was "a divine judgment" from God. Many updated versions of this book were published in the 1850s. They were titled Bible defence of slavery or, The origin, history, and fortunes of the Negro race.
Priest gave three reasons why he thought the Bible justified enslaving black people. He said that black people were created with less intelligence and behaved less reasonably than other people. This, he claimed, made them suitable as servants. He pointed to a verse in the Book of Genesis that he said meant Ham and all his descendants were meant to be slaves. He argued that because of these supposed lesser qualities, black people needed to be enslaved. His book also claimed that a black person's physical build and skin were tougher than a white person's. He said this meant they were designed for hard manual labor.
Pamphlets and Historical Profiles
Besides his books, Priest wrote several pamphlets. These focused on heroes of the American Revolution. His stories often showed a strong interest in conflicts between races. They mainly focused on soldiers who had been captured by Native Americans.
Frank H. Severance, a well-known author and historian, defended Priest's writing style. He said that while Priest wasn't always a reliable historian, his pamphlets contained true stories. These stories were about individual events in the Revolution and experiences of pioneers. Priest gathered these stories directly from the people who lived them. Severance noted that Priest wrote them without much literary skill, but also without clear changes or exaggerations. Priest recorded stories of violent acts by Native Americans against white settlers. These stories might have been forgotten otherwise. However, his choice of stories was biased. It always showed Native Americans as violent.
Criticisms and Legacy
Critics today say Priest's books are just collections of poorly supported theories. They say his ideas were driven by racism. Robert Silverberg, a writer, noted that Priest's arguments were built on taking Bible passages literally. He also used popular but fake scholarly views and misunderstood other texts.
Priest was known for mixing many types of sources in his writings. He tried to make his work seem believable to a general audience. Priest's wild claims still appear today in pseudoscience, pseudohistory, and New Age pop culture. Because of this, he can be seen as a pioneer in publishing popular but very incorrect ideas. The popularity of his works allowed Americans of his time to believe in romantic fantasies about the past. These fantasies often encouraged their own racism.
