As a local expert on Moravians in the 18th century, Scott Paul Gordon is working on a new book about enslavement in Bethlehem.
As communities around the country mark 250 years of American independence, the Moravian Historical Society is dedicating its year-long celebration of the nation’s founding to exploring the Moravians and the Revolution. Scott Paul Gordon’s research on Moravian pacifism and arms production in the Lehigh Valley has made him a local expert in the 18th century. Now he’s uncovered new information that challenges previous research about another aspect of the Moravians during this period—their complex relationship with slavery.
Gordon, Andrew W. Mellon Chair and professor of English, has been spending considerable time in the archives and reviewing records to get a more complete picture of the population of enslaved Moravians in Bethlehem. “It turns out it's a very different picture about how enslaved people got here, who enslaved them, how they gained their freedom, and,” Gordon emphasizes, “why they were here.”
Spotlight Recipient
Scott Paul Gordon
Professor and Andrew W. Mellon Chair