John Quincy Adams’ Christian Convictions Regarding Slavery
The eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were an exciting time for religion, especially Christianity, in the young United States. From early colonization to the signing of the Constitution, myriad denominations of Christianity were available to suit anyone’s fancy. One could join a Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Quaker, Anglican, or Congregationalist church, or attend a revival during “The Great Awakening” that swept the colonies in the early eighteenth century. One could even choose to be a deist, although one would be surrounded by evangelicalism. It was a time of bustling religious fervor. [1]
In keeping with the times, politicians and eventual presidents would also be swept up in their own religious beliefs which guided their political views. Many United States Presidents claimed to follow Christianity, but the sixth President, John Quincy Adams, not only followed it but lived it in his personal and political life. His political career continued long after his Presidency ended in 1829. This discussion focuses on Adams’ Christian conviction regarding the subject of slavery in the years preceding his death. In an address to his constituents of the Twelfth Congressional District in Massachusetts in 1842, Adams seamlessly weaved his Christian beliefs into his speech. Thanking his constituents for allowing him to serve, he made clear that his main allegiance to God was the guiding light for his decisions. He proceeded to explain in detail his thought process on taking positions on specific issues from local to foreign affairs in this 63-page report. A rather long section included a discussion of his utter disdain for slavery, weighing heavily on his mind the “property acquired by crime” going against “human virtue and the progress of the Christian religion.” [2] Known as a tireless fighter against slavery until the end, he would revisit the topic again the following year.
Adams was invited to speak to the citizens of Bangor, Maine celebrating the emancipation of West India in May of 1843 but was unable to attend due to ill health. He sent an eight-page letter expressing his regret in missing the occasion but spoke eloquently of the importance of a man’s freedom and invoked his defiant stand against slavery. Here he used his Christian beliefs to explain that the overall argument was “nothing more nor less than the consummation of the Christian religion.” He noted that “by the law of nature and of God, man can never be made the property of man.” He contended that slaveholders were delusional in thinking that they could own the soul of another person, as only God could. He closed his letter with the hope that someday slavery would be forever abolished stating, “To share in the jubilant chorus of that day, if my voice could burst from the cerements of the tomb, it should be to shout Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! Let the earth rejoice and be glad!” [3]
John Quincy Adams would not live to see the day when slavery would forever be abolished in the United States, but he is remembered as a tireless fighter for justice, doing the right thing when conscience called for it, and how he “negotiated public responsibility through the lens of religious duty.” [4]
1. Library of Congress, “Religion and the Founding of the American Republic: Religion and the Federal Government,” https://loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel06.html
2. John Quincy Adams, Address of John Quincy Adams to His Constituents of the Twelfth Congressional District at Braintree, September 17, 1842. Boston: J.H. Eastburn, Printer, 1842.
3. Letter from Hon. John Quincy Adams to Committee of Correspondence of a Meeting of the Citizens of Bangor (ME) and its Vicinity, July 4, 1843.
4. Sara Georgini, “John Quincy Adams at Prayer,” Church History 82, no. 3 (September 2013): 658.
Suggested Reading on Christianity in Early American History
Bonomi, Patricia U. “‘Hippocrates Twins’: Religion and Politics in the American Revolution.” The History Teacher 29, no. 2 (February 1996): 137-44.
Cohen, Charles L. “The Colonization of British North America as an Episode in the History of Christianity.” Church History 72, no. 3 (September 2003): 553-68.
Georgini, Sara. “John Quincy Adams at Prayer.” Church History 82, no. 3 (September 2013): 649-58.
Library of Congress. “Religion and the Founding of the American Republic: Religion in 18th Century America. https://loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel02.html
Stout, Harry S. “Religion, Communications, and the Ideological Origins of the American Revolution.” The William and Mary Quarterly 34, no. 4 (October 1977): 519-41.