Categories: Historical Artifacts

Charles Thomson – the Life of the Cause of Liberty

America’s founding was blessed by the contributions of many individuals who are little, or even completely unknown to us today. Charles Thomson is one such unsung patriot.

In 1774 he was beginning to make a name for himself as a patriotic leader in Philadelphia. John Adams noted, “This Charles Thompson is the Sam Adams of Philadelphia — the Life of the Cause of Liberty, they say.”1

secretary-of-the-continental-congress-charles-thomson-2Though never a member of that august body, as Secretary of the Continental Congress for over fifteen years, Thomson had a front-row seat to the birth of the nation and his fingerprints are all over America’s establishing documents. For example, the copy of the Declaration of Independence included with the official Journals of Congress were in Thomson’s handwriting, and he was one of only two people who actually signed it on July 4th.2

secretary-of-the-continental-congress-charles-thomson-3 Thomson is also responsible for the Great Seal of the United States, which he prepared and Congress approved in 1782.3

As the First Congress took its place under the new government created by the Constitution, Thomson retired from that long-term post. His last official act was personally notifying George Washington that he had been unanimously selected the President of the United States.4

But Thomson was not only a great patriot and supporter of the American cause, he was also a champion of the Word of God. In fact, his name is associated with some of America’s earliest Bible editions.

For example, his name, as Secretary of Congress, is found in the introduction to “The Bible of the Revolution,” which was the first Bible printed in English in America. That Bible was printed by Robert Aitken, the official printer of the Continental Congress. Aitken described his Bible as “a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools.”5 It was reviewed and approved by a committee of the Continental Congress, and published with the official congressional endorsement prominently in the front. (All of the original books pictured below that are associated with Charles Thomson are from our collection at WallBuilders.)

secretary-of-the-continental-congress-charles-thomson-5 Thomson was also responsible for the first American translation of the Greek Septuagint (the full Greek Bible) into English in 1808 – a labor of love that consumed nearly two decades of his life.6 Called Thomson’s Bible, it is a four volume-set that is considered one of the most scholarly of American Bible translations.

secretary-of-the-continental-congress-charles-thomson-7 Thomson also produced an eight-volume set in which every other page was blank, thus allowing readers space to write notes on the Scriptures as they studied them.
secretary-of-the-continental-congress-charles-thomson-6 In 1815, Thomson published his famous Synopsis of the Four Evangelists, in which he took all the passages from the four Gospels and arranged them chronologically, producing something like one super long Gospel, with all Jesus’ words and acts arranged sequentially. Today, we call such a work a synoptic Gospel.

George Washington praised Thomson’s dedication, “Your Services have been important, as your patriotism was distinguished” He added his belief that “Posterity will find your Name so honorably connected…”7 Sadly, today, Charles Thomson has become a forgotten Founding Father, but his influence, both politically and spiritually, permanently shaped the course of America and blessed American life.

February 14, 2024 This post has been updated to correct information regarding Thomson’s American translation of the Bible. 

Endnotes

1 John Adams, diary entry from August 30, 1774, Adams Family Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society, accessed November 1, 2023.
2 John Hancock was the second and the other delegates signed weeks later. Journals of the Continental Congress 1774-1779, edited from the original records in the Library of Congress by Worthington Chauncey Ford, Chief, Division of Manuscripts, Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1905, The Avalon Project, Yale Law School, accessed November 1, 2023.
3  “Original Design of the Great Seal of the United States (1782),” Milestone Documents, National Archives, updated October 23, 2023.
4 Lewis R. Harley, Charles Thomson: Patriot and Scholar (Norristown, PA: Historical Society of Montgomery County, 1897), 28-29.
5 The Holy Bible as Printed by Robert Aitken and Approved & Recommended by the Congress of the United States of America in 1782, reprinted (New York: Arno Press, 1968), Introduction.
6 Harley, Charles Thomson: Patriot and Scholar (1897), 33-34.
7 George Washington to Charles Thomson, July 24, 1789, Founders Online, National Archives, accessed November 1, 2023.

American troops land at Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings of 1944.

The Heart Shield Bibles of World War II

A Shield of Righteousness

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,
having put on the breastplate of righteousness.
(Ephesians 6:14)

September marks the anniversary of the official beginning of WWII. On September 3, 1939, President Roosevelt addressed the nation with one of his famous “Fireside Chats” stating his resolve to remain a neutral nation in the war,1 which culminated in an American Proclamation of Neutrality declared on September 5th.2

the-heart-shield-bibles-of-world-war-ii-2 However, all of that changed with the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. In his famous “date which will live in infamy” message to Congress requesting that the United States officially declare war on Japan, President Roosevelt stated, “With confidence in our armed forces — with the unbounding determination of our people — we will gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God.”3

the-heart-shield-bibles-of-world-war-ii-3This confidence in God and our military (along with his concern for individual American soldiers) was later evident in what is now known as The Heart-Shield Bible. These Bibles (used during World War II) were designed to fit securely into the chest pocket of a soldier’s uniform. The metal plates were securely attached to the front cover of the Bible to stop a bullet from reaching the soldier’s heart (which they did on several occasions). In our library at WallBuilders we have several of these World War II Bibles. In the back is a section of psalms and hymns, including “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,”  “America the Beautiful,” and “The Star Spangled Banner.”  In the front, there is a note to the soldiers directly from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

the-heart-shield-bibles-of-world-war-ii-4 As Commander-in-Chief I take pleasure in commending the reading of the Bible to all who serve in the armed forces of the United States. Throughout the centuries men of many faiths and diverse origins have found in the Sacred Book words of wisdom, counsel and inspiration. It is a foundation of strength and now, as always, an aid in attaining the highest aspirations of the human soul.

Well before America joined World War II, on the 400th anniversary of the English Bible in 1935, President Roosevelt reminded the nation of the Bible’s importance in America’s formation and continuance:

the-heart-shield-bibles-of-world-war-ii-5We cannot read the history of our rise and development as a Nation without reckoning with the place the Bible has occupied in shaping the advances of the Republic. . . . Where we have been truest and most consistent in obeying its precepts we have attained the greatest measure of contentment and prosperity; where it has been to us as the words of a book that is sealed, we have faltered in our way, lost our range finders, and found our progress checked. It is well that we observe this anniversary of the first publishing of our English Bible. The time is propitious to place a fresh emphasis upon its place and worth in the economy of our life as a people.4

Many other presidents encouraged Americans to read the Bible — including President John Quincy Adams. Interestingly, before becoming president and while serving as a diplomat to Russia under President James Madison, Adams wrote his ten-year-old son nine letters on the importance of reading the Bible, how to read through the Bible once a year, and how to get the most application form what he read. Immediately after Adams’ death in 1847, these letters were published as a book to make his wise counsel on the Bible available to all Americans. This work is titled John Quincy Adams Letters to His Son, on the Bible and Its Teachings.

Endnotes

1 Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Fireside Chat,” September 3, 1939, The American Presidency Project.
2 “Proclamation of September 5, 1939, Proclaiming the Neutrality of the United States in the War Between Germany and France; Poland; and the United Kingdom, India, Australia, and New Zealand,” September 5, 1939, Department of the State: Office of the Historian.
3 Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Address to Congress Requesting a Declaration of War with Japan,” December 8, 1941, The American Presidency Project.
4 Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Statement on the Four Hundredth Anniversary of the Printing of the English Bible,” October 6, 1935, The American Presidency Project.

Sam Houston

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March 2nd is the birthday of Sam Houston. Considered a Texas hero, he is also an American hero as well.

In the years leading up to the Civil War, Houston was a US Senator, and the most controversial issue of his day was slavery. In 1854, Congress introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act to permit slavery not only in the Kansas-Nebraska area but also in parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota and South Dakota. 1 In response, over 3,000 clergymen from New England (which was over three-fourths of New England’s clergy) submitted a petition to Congress opposing the Act and its extension of slavery. 2  Numerous pro-slavery U. S. Senators denounced the actions of the ministers, including Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois who declared:

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Stephen Douglas

It is evident that [the ministers] ought to be rebuked, and required to confine themselves to their vocation. . . It is an  attempt to establish a theocracy – to take charge of our politics and our legislation. It is an attempt to make the legislative power of this country subordinate to the church. It is not only to unite church and state but it is to put the state in subordination to the dictates of the church. 3

(With this absurd rhetoric, Senator Douglas certainly could easily have worked with modern secularist groups such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, or the American Humanist Association, for these groups say today what Douglas said decades ago.)

Many other Senators, however, took the opposite — the pro-Constitution — position. In fact, Northern Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was just about to stand and defend the ministers when Southern Senator Sam Houston arose and shouted, “Sumner! Don’t speak! Don’t speak! Leave them to me!” 4 Sumner yielded; Houston took the floor and declared:

…I certainly can see no more impropriety in ministers of the Gospel, in their vocation, memorializing [petitioning] Congress than politicians or other individuals. . . . Because they are ministers of the Gospel, they are not disfranchised of political rights and privileges and . . . they have a right to spread their opinions on the records of the nation. . . . The great Redeemer of the World enjoined duties upon mankind; and there is [also] the moral constitution from which we have derived all the excellent principles of our political Constitution – the great principles upon which our government, morally, socially, and religiously is founded. Then, sir, I do not think there is anything very derogatory to our institutions in the ministers of the Gospel expressing their opinions. They have a right to do it. No man can be a minister without first being a man. He has political rights; he has also the rights of a missionary of the Savior, and he is not disfranchised by his vocation. . . . He has a right to interpose his voice as one of its citizens against the adoption of any measure which he believes will injure the nation. . . . [Ministers] have the right to think it is morally wrong, politically wrong, civilly wrong, and socially wrong. . . . and if they denounce a measure in advance, it is what they have a right to do. 5

Sam Houston stood boldly in favor of the free-speech rights of ministers to address any issue the government was also addressing. That constitutional right is just as available today as it was a century and a half ago, and ministers, churches, and people of faith should avail themselves of it.

As we remember our historical heroes such as Sam Houston, we wanted to share with you a document found in WallBuilders extensive library directly related to to this incident. It shows several Senators ordering copies of Houston’s compelling speech so that they could distribute it far and wide.
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Check out this video!

 

Endnotes

1 “Houston, Samuel,” Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress, accessed February 24, 2015. See also, “An Act to Organize the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas, 1854;” Record Group 11; General Records of the United States Government; National Archives; “Nebraska TrailBlazer,” The Nebraska State Historical Society, No. 6: Nebraska Territory. Robert Edmund Strahom, The Resources and Attractions of Idaho Territory (Bosie City, Idaho: [Omaha Republican Print], 1881), 3.
2 Paulus Presbutes, The United States Review, ed. D.W. Holly (New York: Lloyd and Brainard, 1854), 247, “A Word for the Clergy.”
3 Right of Petition: New England Clergymen, ed. Edward Everett (Washington : Buell & Blanchard, printers, 1854), 3 & 10-11.
4 Alfred Mason Williams, Sam Houston and the War of Independence in Texas (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, 1895), 314.
5 The Congressional Globe: Containing the Debates, Proceedings and Laws of the First Session of the Thirty-Third Congress, ed. John C. Rives (Washington, D.C.: John C. Rives, 1854), 28:617-621, March 14, 1854. See also, Right of Petition: New England Clergymen, Edward Everett, editor (Washington : Buell & Blanchard, printers, 1854), 4 & 7.

The Power of the Pulpit

Pastors from all across the nation gather annually in Washington D.C. for the WallBuilders Congressional Pastors’ Briefing. This Briefing connects pastors and ministry leaders with members of Congress and government officials who are “fighting the good fight” in Washington, D.C. They return home to their communities and pulpits empowered and equipped to lead their congregations to pray for those in leadership, to get their congregations inspired, and to impact the nation.

But they are not blazing an entirely new trail.  Since the settlement of North America began, the clergy have fearlessly spoken out on governmental issues, teaching the Biblical principles that should govern nations, and pronouncing rebukes when a government strays from them.  These leaders shaped the thinking of generations and, during the American Revolution, the British dubbed the preachers of the day the “Black Robe Regiment” because of the mighty effect they had on the hearts and minds of the people, and how they used it in the cause of freedom.

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These ideals and influences have continued to shape governmental leaders in America. A great example of this is President James A. Garfield.  As a young boy, James worked on a boat on the Ohio and Pennsylvania canal. One pitch black night, James fell overboard, which might not be such a big deal, except for the fact that since he was on the night watch, there was no one near to know he fell overboard or to rescue him.  Groping for a hold, he caught a rope that was Providentially hanging over the edge.  After his rescue, considering that it was God that saved him from drowning, he turned his life around, (literally) and went home, choosing to become a teacher.

Upon receiving his college education, Garfield went on to become a minister of the Gospel. Following a revival meeting that he preached, he wrote a letter to a fellow minister reporting on the results.

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This minister of the Gospel did not feel that his position in the church excluded him from political involvement. In addition to preaching the Word of God, he was also a College President, a State Senator, a Major General in the U.S. Army, a U.S. Representative, elected to be a U.S. Senator, and 20th President of the United States.  He was shot by an assassin and died on September 19, 1881.

Who was the “Father of the Revolution”?

Samuel Adams
(1722-1803)

September 27 marks 292 years since the birth of one of America’s most prominent Founding Fathers. He influence was so great that he was one of only two Founding Fathers the King of England said he would not pardon for his leadership in the American Revolution. [1]

who-was-the-father-of-the-revolution-1

A merchant by trade, Adams’ true passion was politics. [2]  As early as 1763, Samuel was already making a stand against the British crown, [3] trying to convince all who would listen that England had no right to impose policies on the colonies since the colonies had no representation in the British legislature. He was elected to the Massachusetts General Assembly in 1765, [4] and while serving in the state legislature became a more visible and vocal leader in opposition to British tyranny, even participating in the Boston Tea Party in 1773. [5]

Elected to the Continental Congress in 1774, Adams was crucial in helping delegates overcome their religious differences to unite together and open Congress with prayer (see the picture below) – something that Congress had done every day since then. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence [6] and also helped draft the Articles of Confederation in 1777. [7]

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Adams also helped write the original Massachusetts constitution (1780) – the only constitution in the world still in use today that is older than the U. S. Constitution. [8]

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After the U. S. Constitution was written, he was a member of the 1788 state convention to ratify the Constitution, [9] where he opposed it because he believed that it failed to adequately protect individual liberties and state powers from the intrusion of the federal government. His opposition helped fuel the movement that resulted in the addition of the Bill or Rights in 1791.

In addition to his work on the national level, Adams served Massachusetts as Lieutenant Governor (under Governor John Hancock) and then as Governor. [10] A dedicated and outspoken Christian throughout his long life, Adams frequently called citizens to times of prayer and fasting, and prayer and thanksgiving, such as in this 1794 Thanksgiving Proclamation, this 1795 Thanksgiving Proclamation, this 1796 Thanksgiving Proclamation, this 1795 Fasting  Proclamation (pictured below), and others.

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Samuel Adams died on October 3, 1803. [11] His influence and leadership in helping secure America’s independence has caused him to be titled, “Father of the Revolution.” [12]

[1] Benson J. Lossing, Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence  (New York: George F. Cooledge & Brother, 1848), p. 35.

 

[2] Benson J. Lossing, Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence  (New York: George F. Cooledge & Brother, 1848), p. 34.

 

[3] Benson J. Lossing, Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence  (New York: George F. Cooledge & Brother, 1848), p. 34.

 

[4] Benson J. Lossing, Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence  (New York: George F. Cooledge & Brother, 1848), p. 35.

 

[5] William V. Wells, The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams (Cambridge: University Press, 1865), Vol. II, p. 122-125.

 

[6] “The Declaration of Independence: A Transcript,” National Archives, July 4, 1776 (at: https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html). See also, Benson J. Lossing, Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence  (New York: George F. Cooledge & Brother, 1848), p. 36, “Signers of the Declaration of Independence,”  ushistory.org  (at: https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/) (accessed on July 2, 2010).

 

[7] William V. Wells, The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams (Cambridge: University Press, 1865), Vol. II, pp. 472-475.

 

[8] Leonard Levy, Seasoned Judgments: The American Constitution, Rights and History (1995), p. 307 (at: https://books.google.com/books?id=-7lKq0dfs54C&pg=PA307=onepage&q&f=false); compared to the date of the U.S. Constitution recognized as “the the world’s longest surviving written charter of government” at: https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/ConstitutionDay.htm. See also, William V. Wells, The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams (Cambridge: University Press, 1865), Vol. III, p. 79.

 

[9] William V. Wells, The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams (Cambridge: University Press, 1865), Vol. III, pp. 250-264.

 

[10] Benson J. Lossing, Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence  (New York: George F. Cooledge & Brother, 1848), p. 36.

 

[11] Benson J. Lossing, Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence  (New York: George F. Cooledge & Brother, 1848), p. 36.

 

[12] William V. Wells, The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams (Cambridge: University Press, 1865), Vol. I, p. 11, Harry Clinton Green and Mary Wolcott Green, The Pioneer Mothers of America (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1912)  p. 59.

A Great Price Paid

a-great-price-paid-1Richard Stockton was one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was one of those who literally gave his life for American liberty. October 1, 1 is the anniversary of his birthday in 1730.

Richard grew up and practiced law in New Jersey, 2 and had a role in the state government while it was still a British Colony. 3 Although his life was fairly prosperous, he did not let considerations for his own comfort or security stand in the way of principle.  He therefore signed the Declaration of Independence — an action that was considered an act of treason against the British king, carrying with it an automatic penalty of death. He understood the risk, and with the other Founders, announced to the world that “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.”

It was not long before Richard began to suffer the consequences . Some three months after signing the Declaration, he was kidnapped one night by a band of British Loyalists. 4 .  He was placed into a barbaric prison where he was abused and mistreated.5 Congress eventually learned of his imprisonment by the British and moved to secure his freedom, but his health was so destroyed that he never recovered. 6 He died on February 28, 1781,7  never having seen the end of the war, or the liberty that he had worked to secure for others.

Richard maintained his Christian faith throughout his life — a fact that was apparent up to his dying days. In fact, knowing that he was dying as a result of his imprisonment, in his last will and testament, he left clear instructions for his six children he would leave behind:

And as my children will have frequent occasion of perusing this instrument, and may probably be particularly impressed with the last words of their father, I think it proper here not only to subscribe to the entire belief of the great and leading doctrines of the Christian religion, such as the Being of God…the Divinity of the person and the completeness of the redemption purchased by the blessed Savior…but also, in the bowels of a father’s affection, to exhort and charge them, that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom — that the way of life held up in the Christian system is calculated for the most complete happiness that can be enjoyed in this mortal state.8

As a Washington DC newspaper in 1789 accurately noted about America’s Founding:

[Christianity] laid the foundation of this new and great Empire. . . . It is the professed religion of the greatest, wisest, and best men this world has produced.9

Endnotes

1 Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (Hartford: R.G.H. Huntington, 1842), 204; Robert W. Lincoln, Lives of the Presidents of the Untied States; with Biographical Notices of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (New York: N. Watson & Co., 1836), 409.
2 L. Carroll Judson, A Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, and of Washington and Patrick Henry (Philadelphia: J. Dobson, and Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co., 1839), 67; John Sanderson, Sanderson’s Biography of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence, ed. Robert T. Conrad (Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co., 1848), 288.
3 Judson, Biography of the Signers (1839), 68; Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (Hartford: R.G.H. Huntington, 1842), 207.
4 Sanderson, Sanderson’s Biography of the Signers, ed. Conrad (1848), 292.
5 Sanderson, Sanderson’s Biography of the Signers, ed. Conrad (1848), 292.
6 Goodrich, Lives of the Signers (1842), 207.
7 Judson, Biography of the Signers (183), 70; Sanderson, Sanderson’s Biography of the Signers, ed. Conrad (1848), 293; Lincoln, Lives of the Presidents (New York: N. Watson & Co., 1836), 409; Goodrich, Lives of the Signers (1842), p. 208.
8 “Will of Richard Stockton,” WallBuilders.
9 The American Museum (Philadelphia: Mathew Carey, 1789), Vol. IV, p. 41, originally printed in The Gazette of the United States on May 9, 1789.

Christmas with the Presidents

Throughout the years, America’s presidents have celebrated Christmas as the birth of our Savior. This new 4-minute video highlights some of the remarkable artifacts from our collection to show how Christmas has been commemorated under various presidents.

Our website also has additional information about how American Presidents have celebrated Christmas. And several White House Christmas artifacts are presented below.

Our prayer is that you have a blessed and Christ-filled Christmas!

And if you want to read a powerful Christ-centered Christmas message from a president, check out these offerings by President Harry S. Truman:

“Since returning home, I have been reading again in our family Bible some of the passages which foretold this night. . . . We miss the spirit of Christmas if we consider the Incarnation as an indistinct and doubtful, far-off event unrelated to our present problems. We miss the purport of Christ’s birth if we do not accept it as a living link which joins us together in spirit as children of the ever-living and true God. In love alone – the love of God and the love of man – will be found the solution of all the ills which afflict the world today.”

President Harry S. Truman, Christmas Eve Address, 1949

“Through Jesus Christ the world will yet be a better and a fairer place. This faith sustains us today as it has sustained mankind for centuries past. This is why the Christmas story, with the bright stars shining and the angels singing, moves us to wonder and stirs our hearts to praise. Now, my fellow countrymen, I wish for all of you a Christmas filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and many years of future happiness with the peace of God reigning upon this earth.”

President Harry S. Truman, Christmas Eve Address, 1952

Let’s all remember not just the rich history of Christmas celebrations in America but also the true reason for this season we celebrate.

From all of us at WallBuilders, we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

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John Quincy Adams – Abolitionist, President, & Father

john-quincy-adams-abolitionist-president-father-1Black History Month is a special time to focus on black history, which interestingly often involves not just Black Americans but also those of other races. As famous Black American minister Richard Allen reminded his brethren during the Founding Era, “Many of the white people have been instruments in the hands of God for our good [and] are now pleading our cause with earnestness and zeal.” [1]

John Quincy Adams was one of the many Americans who had a direct hand in shaping black history for the good. (By the way, to learn about many of America’s remarkable untold black heroes, check out our website section on Black History.)

Adams spent nearly seven decades in public service for America, including as a foreign diplomat, Secretary of State, U. S. Senator, President of the United States, and then as the only President to serve as a US Congressman after his Presidency. [2] He became famous for introducing anti-slavey petitions into what was at that time a pro-slavery Congress. In fact, his fellow Congressmen were so disgusted with these petitions that they enacted a “gag-rule” banning the introduction of any petition addressing the abolition of slavery.  But Adams persisted and was so relentless in the pursuit of liberty and equality for Black Americans that he became known as “The Hellhound of Abolition.” [3]

john-quincy-adams-abolitionist-president-father-3Adams also led the legal defense of the African slaves in the famous Amistad case [4] llater made a Hollywood movie starring Anthony Hopkins). The Amistad was a Spanish ship carrying newly enslaved Africans, who revolted during the voyage, killed the captain, and took over the boat. The ship was brought to port in the United States, where the Spanish survivors charged the Africans with mutiny and murder. John Quincy Adams successfully defended them before the U. S. Supreme Court, which declared the Africans free. These Africans were later transported safely back to the freedom of their homes in Africa. [5]

John Quincy Adams’ firm position in behalf of the equality of all men, regardless of color, was drawn especially from Bible teachings. In fact, he specifically cited Jesus’ teaching in Luke 4 as an authority for his position against slavery. Not surprisingly, Adams openly stressed the importance of reading the Bible.

In fact, when he had been a diplomat serving under President James Madison, Adams wrote a series of nine letters to his son instructing him on the importance of reading the Bible and how to get the most from his reading. A public demand for these letters led to their 1848 publication as a book for young Americans.

Endnotes

[1] Richard Allen, The Life Experience and Gospel Labors of the Right Rev. Richard Allen (New York: Abingdon Press, 1983), p. 73, from his “Address to the People of Color in the United States.
[2] Appletons’ Cyclopedia of American Biography (New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1889), Vol. I, s.v. “John Quincy Adams.” See also, American President, “John Quincy Adams,” The Miller Center (accessed: February 5, 2015), “John Quincy Adams,” National Historic Park, (accessed: February 5, 2015).
[3] History, Art & Archives, “The House ‘Gag Rule’,” United States House of Representatives (accessed: February 5, 2015). See also, Appletons’ Cyclopedia of American Biography (New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1889), Vol. I, s.v. “John Quincy Adams;” John Quincy Adams, The Diary of John Quincy Adams, Allan Nevins, editor (New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1929), p. 525, June 11, 1841; James Schouler, History of the United States of America Under the Constitution (New York: Dodd, Meade, and Company, 1889), Vol. IV, pp. 423-424.
[4] “Teaching with Documents: The Amistad Case,” National Archives (accessed: February 5, 2015).
[5] “Teaching with Documents: The Amistad Case,” National Archives (accessed: February 5, 2015). See also, Office of the Historian, “Milestones 1830-1860: The Amistad Case, 1839,” U.S. Department of State (accessed: February 5, 2015).

What do you know about Naphtali Daggett?

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If your answer is – “Not much!” you are probably not alone. Naphtali Daggett should be celebrated both for his stand against the British, and for his many years of service to Yale University.

In the 1640s, clergymen unsuccessfully attempted to form the college. Their plan finally came to fruition when Connecticut founded the college on October 9, 1701 1  – 314 years ago this month. Its official 1701 charter (see below) expressed its purpose that “youth may be instructed in the arts and sciences [and] through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for public employment both in Church and civil State.”2

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As with nearly all American universities, the early presidents of Yale were clergymen – a practice that continued until the twentieth century. One of its presidents was the Rev. Naphtali Daggett. In 1777, as the American Revolution was in full stride, Daggett resigned as President of Yale. 3 In 1779, British troops marched into town, and in an effort to give the students and townspeople time to flee; Daggett went out to fight the British. Eventually, he was the only one left, facing 2,500 enemy troops. His fight was short-lived and in 1780, he died as the result of the wounds he received.  4 To learn more about this remarkable patriot, see Tim Barton’s video.

Discover the irreplaceable part the American clergy played in the forming of our nation.

The Role of Pastors and Christians in Civil Government

1 “About: History,” Yale University, 2015; “Today in History: October 9,” Library of Congress, February 14, 2011.
2 “About: History,” Yale University, 2015.
3 “Office of the President: Past Presidents,” Yale University, 2015.
4 William B. Sprague, Annals of the American Pulpit (New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1859), 1:481-482, Chauncey A. Goodrich quoting his father Elizur Goodrich; John Warner Barber, Historical Collections, Being a General Collection of Interesting Facts, Biographical Sketches, Anecdotes, &c. (Worcester: Warren Lazzell, 1844), 114-115.

Black Soldiers in the Revolution

Sadly, today we are routinely taught the negatives of American history — we emphasis the bad and the ugly with nearly no mention of the good. Consequently, we hear the many ways that Americans did not always live up to the ideals of our founding, especially that black Americans were despised and enslaved. This is indeed part of the story, but there is much more. For example, on the positive side, did you know that many black Americans played key roles in the War for Independence? Consider just three.

James Armistead1 black-soldiers-in-the-revolution-1from Virginia worked closely with Marquis de Lafayette.2 He was able to infiltrate the camp of the patriot-turned-traitor, Benedict Arnold (then a British general after his defection from the Americans), and later the camp of British General Lord Cornwallis. Armistead obtained vital information about British plans and troop movements that he fed back to Lafayette and George Washington. His information allowed the American forces to initiate the Battle of Yorktown,3 which led to the end of the American Revolution. For his military services, Armistead was granted a retirement pension from Virginia.4

In December 1776, the second-in-command of the American Army, General Charles Lee, was taken prisoner by the British.5 To obtain his release, a prisoner exchange for a British general of the same rank was needed. Lt. Col. William Barton therefore undertook a daring plan to slip into the British stronghold at Newport, Rhode Island, capture British General Richard Prescott, and return him to the American side before the British learned of his capture.6 Cassell's History of the United States Barton hand-selected about forty elite soldiers, who silently slipped past the main British force and overpowered the guards protecting the general. They had only to break down the door to his room and grab Prescott. One of the black commandos on the mission, Prince Sisson – a powerful man – stepped forward and charged the door. Using his own head as a battering ram, the locked door gave way and Prince entered the quarters and seized the surprised general.7 The group safely returned with Prescott, who was subsequently exchanged for General Charles Lee. The daring act of Sisson is still celebrated to this day.

Wentworth Cheswell, black-soldiers-in-the-revolution-3grandson of a slave, had a long career in public office.7 Elected in 1768 as a town constable in New Hampshire, he became one of the first blacks elected to office in America. In 1770, he was a town selectman, considered as one of the “town fathers” in the community. Other public offices he held included that of Auditor, Assessor, Coroner, Moderator (presiding over town meetings), and Justice of the Peace.8 In the latter role, he oversaw trials, settled disputes, and executed legal documents. Altogether, Cheswell held some form of public office for 49 years. During the Revolution, he was a messenger for the Committee of Safety, carrying intelligence and messages back and forth between strategic operational centers. It was in this position that Cheswell made an all-night ride, similar to the one undertaken by Paul Revere, warning citizens of imminent British invasion. In 1777, Cheswell enlisted in a company of Light Horse Volunteers commanded by Colonel John Langdon, who later became a signer of the U.S. Constitution.9 Cheswell has a lasting legacy as a patriot, teacher, church leader, historian, archeologist, educator, judge, and elected official. He is a black patriot worthy of honoring and remembering.

In the WallBuilders library, we are blessed to have some military pay documents that were issued to various black soldiers during the Revolution10 (such as those pictured below) as well as some documents signed by Wentworth Cheswell11 (pictured above).

black-soldiers-in-the-revolution-4
black-soldiers-in-the-revolution-5

Let’s put some of the good stories back into Black History Month by acknowledging courageous black patriots in the American Revolution.

Endnotes

1 “Black History Issue 2004,” WallBuilders.
2 “Marquis de Lafayette,” National Park Service, accessed January 31, 2024.
3 “Battle of Yorktown begins,” History, updated September 2020.
4 “James Armistead,” Biography, July 2, 2020.
5 lack History Issue 2004,” WallBuilders; William Nell, The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution (Boston: Robert F. Wallcut, 1855), 127.
6 “Barton, William,” Appletons’ Cyclopaedia of American Biography, eds. James Grant Wilson & John Fiske (New York: D. Appleton & Company, 1888), I:188; Nell, Colored Patriots (1855), 127.
7 “A Black Patrioti: Wentworth Cheswell,” WallBuilders.
8 “Cheswell,” PBS, accessed January 31, 2024; “Wentworth Cheswell,” Britannica Kids, accessed January 31, 2024.
9 “John Langdon: New Hampshire,” Robert K. Wright, Jr. & Morris J. MacGregor, Jr., Solider-Statesmen of the Constitution (Washington, DC: Center of Military History United States Army, 1987), 100-102.
10 “Black Revolutionary War Soldiers Pay,” WallBuilders.
11 “Wentworth Cheswell Documents,” WallBuilders.