James Henley Thornwell (December 9, 1812 – August 1, 1862) was an American Presbyterian preacher, slaveowner, and religious writer from the U.S. state of South Carolina during the 19th century. During the American Civil War, Thornwell supported the Confederacy. But contrary to many proponents of slavery, he preached that the Negro population were people created in the image of God just like whites and that they should call slaves their brothers. He became prominent in the Old School Presbyterian denomination in the south, preaching and writing on theological and social issues. He taught at South Carolina College, eventually served as its president, and went on to teach at Columbia Theological Seminary. He was a contemporary of Charles Hodge and represented the southern branch of the Presbyterian church in debates on ecclesiology with Hodge.
Career Thornwell was Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America's General Assembly in 1847 at the age of 35.
When the American Civil War broke out, Thornwell participated in the formation of the Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America. The PCCSA seceded from the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America over the Gardner Spring resolution, which made specific loyalty to the US Government a condition of polity. Thornwell preached the sermon at the 1861 General Assembly and wrote the first address for the new denomination.
He founded the Southern Presbyterian Review, edited the Southern Quarterly Review.
As a supporter of the Confederacy, Thornwell held the view that slavery was not prohibited under the Christian religion. He accused the Republicans of being opposed to Christianity:
Death Thornwell died on August 1, 1862, after a long struggle with tuberculosis. Thornwell is buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Columbia, Richland County, South Carolina.
Legacy An administrative building at University of South Carolina is named in his honor. In July 2021, the university's Presidential Commission on University History recommended removing his name from the building.
Thornwell, in the words of Professor Eugene Genovese, attempted "to envision a Christian society that could reconcile – so far as possible in a world haunted by evil – the conflicting claims of a social order with social justice and both with the freedom and dignity of the individual."Eugene Genovese, "James Henley Thornwell and Southern Religion" in Abbeville Review, May 5, 2015.
Thornwell believed in a collectivist vision of society in which all individuals were connected with each other and with God.
Thornwell owned slaves. He constantly cited the Bible to argue against abolitionists that slavery was sanctioned by Biblical authority. Being an orphan himself, Thornwell considered slaves should be treated with loving care and paternalistic guidance. He advocated a limited slavery which was humane and in line with God's precepts. This was because Thornwell thought free labor left the poor in a state of misery and threatened society with revolution and upheaval. Therefore, he believed a reformed and more Christian version of slavery to be a preferable alternative. Thornwell's disdain for the absolute power of slave masters and subsequent attempts to reconcile Christianity, paternalism, and slavery produced a vision for society which some historians have described as fascist.
See also
Robert Lewis Dabney
References
Bibliography Thornwell, James Henley. The Collected Writings of James Henley Thornwell, 4 vols. Edited by John B. Adger and John L. Girardeau, 1871–1873. Thornwell, James Henley. The Rights and Duties of Masters: A Sermon Preached at the Dedication of a Church Erected in Charleston, S. C., for the Benefit and Instruction of the Coloured Population (1850). Palmer, B.M. The Life and Letters of James Henley Thornwell, 1875. online reprint Calhoun, David B. Our Southern Zion – Old Columbia Seminary 1828–1927 published by Banner of Truth Trust, Carlisle PA 17018 USA, Copyright David B. Calhoun, 2012. White, Henry Alexandra. Southern Presbyterian Leaders 1683–1911 published by Banner of Truth Trust, Carlisle, PA 17018 USA, 2000. Previously published by the Neale Publishing Co., New York, 1911.
Further reading James Henley Thornwell and the Theological Defense of Slavery (1851–54) by Erik Grayson, History and Religious Studies Major, University of South Carolina. Vimeo video (10:01 minutes). A pdf of the text is available here.
External links The Collected Writings of James Henley Thornwell, Volume 1——Theological. (678 pdfs) The Collected Writings of James Henley Thornwell, Volume 2——Theological and Ethical. (634 pdfs) The Collected Writings of James Henley Thornwell, Volume 3——Theological and Controversial. (830 pdfs) The Collected Writings of James Henley Thornwell, Volume 4——Ecclesiastical. (648 pdfs) The Rights and Duties of Masters: A Sermon ... by James Henley Thornwell. (1850, 56 pdfs) The State of the Country: The Causes which brought about the secession of South Carolina from the Union. An article republished from the Southern Presbyterian Review. ( This work is the property of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text).