The Correspondence of Richard Price, Vol. 1

This third volume in the series completes the known extant correspondence of Richard Price (1732-1791). Perhaps best known as a political philosopher, Price made significant contributions to Anglo-American intellectual life in the late 18th century in a variety of fields. This collection of letters covers a range of topics including religion, theology, politics, education, liberty, finance, demography and insurance. Price's correspondence with Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Rush and other Americans concern issues of slavery, the rebellion in Massachusetts, use of paper money, opposition to the establishment of religion, and the status of the federal government. Letters to Priestly, Lansdowne and others in Britain are about science and technology, the crisis in the United Provinces, armed neutrality, the national debt, revolution, religious sects and foreign relations. In his correspondence with French leaders following the fall of the Bastille, particularly with le Duc de la Rochefoucauld, Price expresses his high hopes for the growth of civil and religious freedom in France.