Elihu Palmer
Elihu Palmer (1764-1806) was an American deist philosopher who rejected orthodox Christianity and formed the deistical New York Theistical Society.
Elihu Palmer (1764-1806) was an American deist philosopher. He was trained as a Presbyterian minister, but ultimately rejected orthodox Christianity and formed the deistical New York Theistical Society. In 1801, Palmer published his major work, Principles of Nature; or, a Development of the Moral Causes of Happiness and Misery Among the Human Species, and sent a copy to Thomas Jefferson in 1802.1 No reply from Jefferson has been found. Jefferson's copy of this work is held at the Library of Congress.2
- Jefferson Library Staff, 2008
Further Sources
- 18th Century Online Encyclopedia: Enlightenment and Revolution, s.v. "Palmer, Elihu" (by Jason Horn).
- French, Roderick S. "Elihu Palmer, Radical Deist, Radical Republican: A Reconsideration of American Free Thought." Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture, vol. 8 (1979): 90-91.
- Palmer, Elihu. Principles of Nature; or, a Development of the Moral Causes of Happiness and Misery Among the Human Species. London: J. Cahuac, 1819.
- Walters, Kerry. The American Deists: Voices of Reason and Dissent in the Early Republic. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1992.
Footnotes
- Palmer to Jefferson, September 1, 1802, in PTJ, 38:333, 38:333n. Transcription and editorial note available at Founders Online.
- Sowerby, 2:24-25.