Rev. William Smith (1727-1803)

Rev. William Smith (1727-1803) was the first Provost of the College of Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania. In 1775, he preached a sermon where he referred to the British & American people as “British-Israel” indicating that he believed the British & Anglo-Saxon and kindred people were related to the Israel people. It is possible that he meant this as a metaphor in some other way, but it was a common term used in those days for those who believed the Anglo-Saxon people were Israel.