About the Author

J. Stanley Lemons is emeritus professor of History at Rhode Island College and historian of the First Baptist Church in America. An historian of American culture, Lemons’s scholarly interests and publications have ranged over the topics of women’s history, African-American history, popular culture, American religion, social reform, and Rhode Island history. Among his half dozen books is FIRST: The First Baptist Church in America. The American Association of State and Local History has twice honoured him with their highest award.