Historic Nassau Presbyterian Church to Mark 250th Anniversary of the Nation With Samuel Adams Herr Lecture Series

Nassau, formerly First Presbyterian Church, Played Central Role in New Jersey’s and Nation’s Declarations of Independence

Five-Lecture Series to Focus on Roles of the Presbyterians and First Church in Leading New Jersey from Indifference to Independence

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nassau Presbyterian Church announced that, beginning in May, it will host the five-lecture Samuel Adams Herr Semiquincentennial Series to mark the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth and the unique role Presbyterians played in moving New Jersey from indifference to independence.

The series will begin on May 17, when University of Notre Dame professor emeritus Mark Noll speaks on “Christian Reflections on the American Revolution.”

The series will continue in June with two events co-sponsored by Princeton Theological Seminary and Nassau Presbyterian Church. On June 16, Harvard historian Annette Gordon-Reed, J.D., will engage in conversation with Princeton Seminary’s Heath W. Carter, PhD, on the nation's founding, race and faith in light of the 250^th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

On June 18^th, Carter will facilitate Christian Faith and US Democracy: Where Do We Go From Here? The panel will feature Jonathan Rauch (Brookings Institution), R. Marie Griffith (Washington University) and Cherie Harder (Trinity Forum).

On October 25^th, Gideon Mailer, PhD, of the University of Minnesota Duluth, one of the foremost experts on the Rev. John Witherspoon, will deliver a lecture entitled “The American Revolution: The History and Legacy of Witherspoon at 250.”

Witherspoon was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence. He was also president of the former College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, and a pastor of First Presbyterian Church.

The Samuel Adams Herr Series will conclude on December 6^th, with a fireside chat entitled “The Damned Presbyterians,” featuring Carter and Princeton Battlefield Society trustee and member of Nassau Presbyterian Church Mark Herr, who is currently writing First Church of the Revolution. Their conversation will focus on the role of First Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian denomination in moving New Jersey from indifference to independence.

During the American Revolution, King George III called the drive for independence “the Presbyterian Rebellion,” and loyalists blamed “the damned Presbyterians” for starting it. Nassau Presbyterian, as First Presbyterian Church, was home to two signers of the Declaration of Independence — Witherspoon and Richard Stockton — five members of the Continental Congress, including Jonathan Dickinson Sergeant, who wrote New Jersey’s new 1776 State Constitution in church pewholder Robert Stockton’s house, and provided most of its male members to the war effort as state leaders or soldiers. It had just one Tory in its congregation.

About the Samuel Adams Herr Lecture Series

The Samuel Adams Herr Lecture Series was created by the Herr family to honor its late son, Samuel Adams Herr, who was, indeed, named after the great American patriot who was one of the driving forces behind the American Revolution and United States independence. The lectures are intended to foster a deeper understanding of American history, generally, and the significant role played by American Presbyterians in shaping it.

About Nassau Presbyterian Church

Nassau Presbyterian Church is a historic congregation located at 61 Nassau Street in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It has been the home of many important figures in the history of Presbyterianism in the United States as a result of its proximity to Princeton University and the Princeton Theological Seminary. The church operates the Princeton Cemetery and is a contributing property to the Princeton Historic District.