Residing in 'South-Eastern Asia' of the Antebellum United States: Reverend David Abeel and the World Geography of American Print Evangelism and Commerce

Abstract

The travel accounts of Reverend David Abeel (1804-1846) demonstrate an abiding trans-oceanic imaginary that inspired American missionaries in their pursuit of reading, writing, printing, and preaching in languages other than English. An awareness of the broader geographical and historical currents in Southeast Asia equips us to appreciate his description of Chinese, Malay, and Arabic languages. What do Abeel’s descriptions of geographical areas related to these langauges suggest about the early American Christianity and the development of distinct national identity in the United States? To begin answering these questions this essay considers the implications of Abeel’s failure to win Christian converts during his series of evangelical residences as he witnessed the commercial activity that led to the First Opium War (1839-1842) and the demise of the trading system centering on Canton in South China.