INTRODUCTION

Title: Morton A. Brown Papers

Collection Number: Accession No. 625

Physical description: 5.5 linear feet (11 boxes) and 1 oversized folder

Creator: Morton A. Brown

Repository: University Archives, East Tennessee State University

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Provenance: The Morton A. Brown Papers were donated to University Archives by Dr. Michael Braswell, Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, ETSU, executor of Dr. Brown’s estate, on September 17, 2002.

Access: The collection is open for research. Literary rights to the collection were retained by Dr. Brown’s daughter, Annaleah Brown, Kansas City, Missouri.

Processing Information: The collection was processed by Ned Irwin in 2003.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Morton Allen Brown was born in Dieterich, Illinois on June 17, 1916. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Washington and Lee University in 1937 and with a Masters of Arts degree in history from Harvard University in 1938. On the eve of World War II, he took a bicycle tour of Europe and witnessed the growing tension of this time of turmoil and studied briefly under Fredrich A. von Hayek at the London School of Economics. During the war itself, Brown was a conscientious objector and served in the Civilian Conservation Corps. While working in this capacity in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, he met a local girl, Bonnie Kate Phillipps, whom he married in 1947. The Browns had one daughter, Annaleah Brown.

Brown began teaching history at Bob Jones University, Greenville, S. C., in 1949. A disagreement with President Bob Jones, Sr., led to his dismissal from the school in 1952. During this time, Brown worked on his doctorate in history at Harvard University, being awarded his degree in 1958. His dissertation on English constitutional history titled “Passive Disobedience and the Revolution of 1688” was directed by noted historian Charles H. McIlwain. From 1953-1957, Brown taught history at William Jennings Bryan University (now Bryan College) in Dayton, Tenn. He joined the history faculty at ETSU in 1957, where he eventually became professor of history and taught until his retirement in 1981. At that time, he was honored by being named professor emeritus and by the establishment of the Morton A. Brown Scholarship in history.

Dr. Brown died on March 27, 2002, exactly two weeks after his wife’s death on March 13, 2002.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Morton A. Brown Papers document the academic career of Dr. Brown at Bob Jones University, William Jennings Bryan University, and East Tennessee State University, as well as his personal research and writing interests. Among aspects examined are his controversial dismissal from Bob Jones University, his teaching methodology in various history courses, his dissertation work as a graduate student at Harvard University, and various personal religious, political, and philosophical views he held. The types of documents in the collection include correspondence, course outlines and notes, unpublished manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and copies of material used in course preparation and research. Some miscellaneous material documents his church activities as a member of Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church and time spent in Europe on the eve of World War II.

The collection is organized into two series, as follows: Series I: Academic Files, 1925-2000 and undated, Boxes 1-6 and Series II: Writings and Miscellaneous Papers, 1938-1999 and undated, Boxes 6-11 and Oversized Folder. Files within each series are arranged in alphabetical order by folder subject heading generally following the arrangement established by Dr. Brown.

Important subjects included in the collection:

SERIES DESCRIPTION

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Series I: Academic Files, 1925-2000 and undated, Boxes 1-6 and Oversized Folder.

The series documents Dr. Brown’s teaching career at Bob Jones University, Bryan University, and East Tennessee State University and includes course outlines and class notes used in the preparation and teaching of various courses, chiefly at ETSU, as well as materials related to university committee work at Bryan University. Also included in this series are correspondence, memoranda, news clippings, and copies of newspaper and journal articles used as background in course preparation and research. The papers in this series reflect Brown’s academic subject interest in the history of Christianity, English history (chiefly of the Tudor and Stuart periods), and the history of ancient Greece and Rome. The material related to his time as a faculty member at Bob Jones University includes much documentation regarding his dispute with campus administrators over the issue of academic freedom and his eventual dismissal from the school. The files are arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading topic.

Series II: Writings and Miscellaneous Papers, 1938-1999 and undated, Boxes 6-11 and Oversized Folder.

The series consists chiefly of both published and unpublished writings produced by Dr. Brown on subjects of personal interest to him, such as the relationship between dissenting religious beliefs and government, 17^th century English constitutional and religious history, political liberalism versus conservatism, and Christian moral and religious interpretation. Included are essays and book-length manuscripts, his unpublished dissertation, poetry, journal entries, as well as talks and speeches delivered by him. The materials are arranged in alphabetical order by folder heading topic.

Note: No first copy of the unpublished typescript “Thomas Jefferson and the Religious Right” was found among Dr. Brown’s papers, only the copies he labeled 2^nd and 3^rd copies.

BOX AND FOLDER LIST

Series I: Academic Files, 1925-2000 and undated, Boxes 1-6

Box 1

1. The American Revolution, undated

2. Bob Jones University, 1949-1952, Part 1 of 2

3. Bob Jones University, 1949-1952, Part 2 of 2

4. Bob Jones University, 1952-1983 and undated

5. Bob Jones University: Addresses, 1952-1953

6. Bob Jones University: Correspondence, 1952-2000

7. Bob Jones University: Letters from Students, 1951-1957

8. Bob Jones University: Meetings, concerts, and publicity, 1950-1951 and undated

9. Bryan University: Faculty Committee on University Development, 1953-1956

10. Bryan University: Theodore C. Mercer correspondence, 1955-1956

11. Bryan University: United States History II course, 1953-1957 and undated

Box 2

1. “The Divine Right of Kings and Shakespeare’s Histories” by B. J. Silvers, undated

2. Dossett, Burgin E., 1960

3. History 112 (Western Civilization survey course): New Test No. 2, 1965

4. History 112 (Western Civilization survey course): Notes and outline, undated

5. History 203 (United States history survey course): Notes and outline, 1957 and

undated

6. History 311 (Ancient History): Notes, undated

7. History 412G (Tudor-Stuart England): Notes, undated

8. History 414 (Modern Britain): Notes, 1961 and undated

9. History 414G: World War I notebook, 1967

Box 3

1. History 1120 (Western Civilization survey course): Notebook, undated

2. History 3111 (History of Christianity): Christianity notes, 1972 and undated

3. History 3111 (History of Christianity): “General Diagram of the Revelation,” undated

4. History 3111 (History of Christianity): Notes and outline, 1975

5. History 3150 (History of Christianity): Notes and outline, undated

6. History 3150 (History of Christianity): Notebook, undated

7. History 3310 (Ancient History): Notebook, undated

8. History 3310 (Ancient History): Notes and outline, undated

9. History 3310 (Ancient History): Notes and outline, Part One, 1981 and undated

Box 4

1. History 3310 (Ancient History): Notes and outline, 1985

2. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1970

3. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Course notes and outline, undated

4. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Eschatology, undated

5. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Final Assignment, 1982

6. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Gnostic notes, undated

7. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Edwin Hatch, “The Influence of Greek Ideas on

Christianity,” undated

8. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Paul Johnson, “Christianity and History,” 1977

9. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Marcus Aurelius, undated

10. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Medieval Christianity notes, 1986

11. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Medieval Christianity test, undated

12. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Notes and outline, 1984

13. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Notes and outline, 1984

14. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Essay questions, 1986

15. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Notes and outline, 1986

16. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Notes and outline, 1986

Box 5

1. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Notes and outline, 1986

2. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Notes and outline, 1986

3. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Tests, 1986

4. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Notes and outline, undated

5. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Notes on Ancient Israel, undated

6. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Old Testament, undated

7. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Romans 13 (New Testament), undated

8. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Sample questions, undated

9. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Trial of Jesus, undated

10. History 3910 (History of Christianity): Separation of Church and State, undated

11. History 4127 (Stuart England): Course notes and outline, undated

Box 6

1. History 4127 (Stuart England): Notes and outline, 1975

2. History 4507 (Tudor/Stuart England): Notes and outline, undated

3. History 4507 (Tudor/Stuart England): Notes and outline, Part III, undated

4. History 4507 (Tudor/Stuart England): Notes and outline, Part IV, undated

5. Lecture notes: The Age of Metternich, 1949-1950

6. Lecture notes: The Era of the Second Empire, 1852-1870, undated

7. Lecture notes: The Eve of the Second Reich, 1871-1914, 1955 and undated

8. Medieval Philosophy Syllabus, undated

9. “Tennessee: Where Cowards Rule” by Joseph Wood Krutch, 1925 (Scopes Trial)

Series II: Writings and Miscellaneous Papers, 1938-1999 and undated, Boxes 6-11

Box 6

10. Analysis of the Synoptic Gospels, 1985 and undated

11. “Anniversary Reflections on a Lost Cause,” 1961

12. “Beyond…,” undated (notes on an unpublished work)

13. “Beyond…”: Chapter 3, notes, undated

14. “The Bible World Is the True World,” April 26, 1953

15. “The Civilization Gap” (Homecoming Speech), 1968

Box 7

1. Clippings (from European newspapers), 1939-1940 (see also oversized folder)

2. “The Content of the Law of Nature: A Preliminary Study,” undated

3. Devotional Talk, East Tennessee State College, September 15, 1961

4. “The End of History: An Interpretation,” 1990 and undated

5. Faces of Western Civilization, 1971

6. The Georgia Review (Fall 1973) [includes Brown’s essay, “Two-and-a-half Secrets

About Richard the Third”]

7. “How Hungry Were the ‘Hungry Forties’?,” undated

8. “The Impact of the West on the Non-Western World”: notes for an address to Delta

Kappa Gamma, January 12, 1961

9. Journal sheets, 1983-1985

10. The Liberty of a Liberal vs. Goldwater, 1961-1962

11. “A Man for All Seasons” review, undated

12. Miscellaneous Sermons, 1953-1960

13. “My English Legacy,” 1985-1986 and undated

Box 8

1. Passive Obedience: notes, undated

2. “Passive Obedience” thesis notebook, undated, Part 1 of 2

3. “Passive Obedience” thesis notebook, undated, Part 2 of 2

4. “Passive Obedience” (pages 83 and following from Brown’s dissertation), undated

5. Passive Obedience, undated

6. “Passive Obedience and the English Revolution,” undated

7. “The Problem of Evil,” 1985

Box 9

1. “Renewing the Law of Nature: Fundamental Questions for the Religious Right,” 1999,

Part 1 of 3

2. “Renewing the Law of Nature: Fundamental Questions for the Religious Right,” 1999,

Part 2 of 3

3. “Renewing the Law of Nature: Fundamental Questions for the Religious Right,” 1999,

Part 3 of 3

4. “Renewing the Law of Nature: Fundamental Questions for the Religious Right”: Notes

on Chapter III, March 1994

5. “Renewing the Law of Nature: Fundamental Questions for the Religious Right,”

undated

6. “Sweet Wilderness” (poems), undated

7. “Sweet Wilderness” (poems), undated

Box 10

1. “Thomas Jefferson and the Religious Right” (2^nd copy) (Chapters 1-6), undated

2. “Thomas Jefferson and the Religious Right” (2^nd copy) (Chapters 7-10), undated

3. “Thomas Jefferson and the Religious Right” (2^nd copy) (Chapters 11 to end), undated

4. “Thomas Jefferson and the Religious Right” (3^rd copy) (Chapters 1-6), undated

5. “Thomas Jefferson and the Religious Right” (3^rd copy) (Chapters 7-10), undated

6. “Thomas Jefferson and the Religious Right” (3^rd copy) (Chapters 11 to end), undated

Box 11

1. “Thoughts on Commager Article,” 1970

2. Translation of New Testament (Letter to Colossians), undated

3. “’Twas the Night Before Halloween,” 1938 (typed July 25-26, 1987)

4. “Two-and-a-half Secrets About Richard the Third,” 1963-1964

5. Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1977-1986

6. “Why I Am A Born-again Humanist,” 1985

Oversized Folder

1. Bob Jones University newspaper advertisement (removed from Box 1, folder 2), 1949

2. General Diagram of the Revelation (removed from Box 3, folder 3), undated

3. World War II era European newspapers (removed from in Box 7, folder 1), 1939-1940

INDEX

Note: The numbers following an index entry refer to the box and folder where information will be found on that entry.

American Revolution: 1-1

Ancient history: 2-6; 3-7 thru 4-1

Ariege, Rene: 1-7

Aron, Raymond: 7-4

Austin, Richard Cartwright: 11-5

Bob Jones University: 1-2 thru 1-8 and Oversized folder

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich: 4-2

Brown, Morton A.: 1-2 thru 1-7; 1-10; 7-9; 7-13; 11-6

Brown, Robert McAfee: 7-10

Bryan College: See Bryan University

Bryan University: 1-9 thru 1-11

Cathey, Gordon M.: 1-6

Christianity—History: 3-2 thru 3-6; 4-2 thru 5-10

Churches (Johnson City, Tenn.): 11-5

Commager, Henry Steele: 11-1

Conn, Rev. George, Jr.: 11-5

Corn laws (Great Britain): 7-7

Daily Express (London, England): 7-1

Daily Telegraph (London, England): 7-1

Delta Kappa Gamma: 7-8

“Divine Right of Kings” doctrine: 2-1

Dossett, Burgin E.: 2-2

Dunkirk (France), Battle of: 7-1

East and West (influences): 7-8

East Tennessee State University: 2-2; 7-3

East Tennessee State University—Homecoming: 6-15

“End of History, The”: 7-4

England—History: 2-7 thru 2-8; 7-7; 7-13; 8-1 thru 8-6

First Presbyterian Church (Johnson City, Tenn.): 11-5

Fukuyama, Francis: 7-4

Gasper, Louis: 1-4

Georgia Review, The: 7-6

Goldwater, Barry: 7-10

Gordon College: 1-6

Great Britain—Economic conditions—19^th Century: 7-7

Great Britain—Social conditions—19^th Century: 7-7

Grube, Charles: 1-7

Grube, Henry: 1-7

Gustafson, Dwight: 1-2 thru 1-3

Hatch, Edward: 4-7

Haynes, Lamont H.: 1-6

History courses: 2-3 thru 6-8

Hitlerism: 7-10

Hitt, Russell T.: 1-10

Howard, James A.: 1-6

Humanism: 11-6

Invasion from Mars (1938 radio hoax): 11-3

Israel (Ancient): 5-5

Jackson, Dorothy: 1-7

Jackson, Neil: 1-7

Jefferson, Thomas: 10-1 thru 10-6

Jesus: 5-9; 6-12 thru 6-13

John Birch Society: 7-10

Johnson, Paul: 4-8

Johnson, R. K.: 1-6

Johnson City (Tenn.)—Churches: 11-5

Jones, Bob, Sr.: 1-2 thru 1-6

Journal entries: 7-9

Keefer, Karl E.: 1-6

Krutch, Joseph Wood: 6-9

La Suisse (Geneva, Switzerland): 7-1

Liberalism: 7-10

Mae, Guy: 1-7

Mae, Lois: 1-7

“Man for All Seasons, A”: 7-11

Marcus Aurelius: 4-9

Mathews, Alice Palmer: 1-6

Maxey, Dale L.: 1-6

McCarthyism: 7-10

Mercer, Theodore C.: 1-3; 1-10

Miller, William Lee: 7-10

Moore, Jeanne C.: 11-5

New Testament: 5-7; 6-10; 11-2

Old Testament: 5-6

“Operation Abolition” (motion picture): 7-10

Panosian, Edward M.: 1-2 thru 1-3

“Passive Obedience and the Revolution of 1688”: 8-1 thru 8-6

Patterson, H. Leo: 1-2

Poems: 9-6 thru 9-7

“Problem of Evil, The”: 8-7

Pulliam, Eugene: 1-6

Puritanism: 6-11

Religious tolerance: 8-1 thru 8-6; 9-1 thru 9-5; 10-1 thru 10-6

“Renewing the Law of Nature”: 9-1 thru 9-5

Revelation, Book of: Oversized folder

Richard III (King of England): 7-6; 11-4

Robinson, Dr. John F.: 1-2

Sartre, Jean-Paul: 7-4

Schrodt, Tommy: 1-6

Scopes Trial: 6-9

Separation of Church and State: 5-10

Sermons: 7-12

Shakespeare, William: 2-1

Sherrill, Robert: 1-4

Sherrod, Howell: 7-10

Silvers, B. J.: 2-1

Stuart England—History: 2-7; 6-1 thru 6-4; 6-11; 8-1 thru 8-6

“Sweet Wilderness”: 9-6 thru 9-7

Synoptic Gospels: 6-10

“Thomas Jefferson and the Religious Right”: 10-1 thru 10-6

Tudor England—History: 2-7; 6-1 thru 6-4

“’Twas the Night Before Halloween”: 11-3

United States history survey course: 1-11; 2-5

Washburn, Stanley A.: 1-5 thru 1-6

Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church (Johnson City, Tenn.): 11-5

Weltdeutlcher Brobachter (Bonn, Germany): 7-1

Welles, Orson: 11-3

Western Civilization history survey course: 2-3 thru 2-4

Western influence on the East: 7-8

William Jennings Bryan University (see Bryan University)

Williams, Ceilous L., Jr.: 1-6

World War I: 2-9

World War II: 7-1