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Religion and Public Spirit: A Valedictory Address to the Senior Class, Delivered in Nassau-Hall, September 21, 1760

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Samuel Davies’ 1760 valedictory urges graduates to unite religion and public spirit, imitating David—‘He served his generation’—calling them to serve church and country.
Archive ⬩ Character and Conduct of Life, Citizenship and Government, Orations and Addresses
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Samuel Davies (1723–1761) was an influential evangelical Presbyterian pastor and educator who played a key role in spreading the Great Awakening in colonial Virginia, where he built licensed meetinghouses and attracted large congregations with his powerful preaching. He also traveled to London to raise funds for the College of New Jersey and later became its fourth president, strengthening the institution before his early death at age thirty-seven. Davies was one of the first colonial Americans to compose hymns and was buried in the presidents’ plot at Princeton Cemetery.

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