John Henry Hopkins and Slavery

Early America was built on the back of slaves. Slavery was viewed by some in the church as something that was part of the divine plan. One of the most notable church leaders that supported slavery was John Henry Hopkins. He would often quote passages in the bible to support his ideology on slavery. “In his writings, Hopkins noted that slavery is mentioned in numerous stories in the Bible as part of the daily life of the time and place described. These biblical stories, together with the absence of explicit condemnation of slavery in both the Old and New Testaments, Hopkins contended, suggested a scriptural sanction for slavery, and the exhortations of Paul and Peter for slaves to obey their masters removed any doubt.”1 He often preached in support of slavery in a way that has always been and always should be.

His most important writing was a pamphlet called The Bible View of Slavery published in 1863. In this text, he discusses how the ideology of slavery was written into the bible and uses several passages as examples. Many of the scriptures that he references can be found in the book of Genesis. He uses this as proof that slavery is sanctioned by God. “We come next to the proof that slavery was sanctioned by the Deity in the case of Abraham, whose three hundred and eighteen bond-servants, born in his own house (Gen. 14:14), are mentioned along with those who were bought with his money, as proper subjects for circumcision (Gen. 17:12).”2  His ideology claimed that God had created the institution of life long servitude and therefore slavery was sanctioned by God. He also claimed that slavery was written into the Ten Commandments.

Hopkins's defense of slavery went further even into the New Testament. He quoted verses like slaves obeying their masters and pulled from many different places in the bible. This is an example of how religion can be weaponized against a minority group. Christians need to be made aware of this practice to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. He was a man that people listened to as he was the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont and the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. This gave the weight of his words when he spoke. Another historian wrote, “In 1861 John Henry Hopkins expressed his views on the slaves: For every candid observer agrees that the Negro is happier and better as a slave than as a free man, and no individual belonging to the Anglo-Saxon stock would acknowledge that the intellect of the negro is equal to his own.”3  As people listened to his rhetoric they too believed that the black people were less than. 

There are examples of this ideology still existing in America’s society today. It is still relevant to learn about and discuss. Only through acknowledging the mistakes of the past and learning from them can we build a better future for Americans. Those in positions of power must be aware of how their words will be viewed by others. John Henry Hopkins was a celebrated leader of his day, yet his ideology was cancer to equality in this country. His words and actions contributed to the isolation and persecution of a marginalized group. The bible says to love one another. This should be considered as well. 


Notes

1. T. Felder Dorn, “Bishops in the Slave States: Their Beliefs about and Responses to Slavery in the Antebellum Period,” in Challenges on the Emmaus Road Episcopal Bishops Confront Slavery, Civil War, and Emancipation (Columbia, SC: Univ. of South Carolina Press, 2013), pp. 71-76, 72.
2. John Hopkins, “Bible View of Slavery,” Bible View of Slavery (New York, NY: Loyal Publication Society, 1863), 2.
3. T. Felder Dorn, Challenges on the Emmaus Road: Episcopal Bishops Confront Slavery, Civil War, and Emancipation (Columbia, SC: The University of South Carolina Press, 2013), 286.


References

Dorn, T. Felder. Challenges on the Emmaus Road: Episcopal Bishops Confront Slavery, Civil War, and Emancipation. Columbia, SC: The University of South Carolina Press, 2013. 
Hopkins, John. Bible View of Slavery. New York, NY: Loyal Publication Society, 1863. 
Levy, Ronald. “Bishop Hopkins and the Dilemma of Slavery.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 91, no. 1 (1967): 56–71.


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