John Woolman

John Woolman

3 Sermons
John Woolman (1720–1772) was an American Quaker preacher, abolitionist, and writer whose gentle ministry and tireless advocacy against slavery profoundly influenced 18th-century religious and social thought. Born on October 19, 1720, in Northampton, Burlington County, New Jersey, to Samuel Woolman, a farmer, and Elizabeth Burr, he grew up in a devout Quaker family of 13 children. Educated informally at home, he developed a deep spiritual sensitivity, experiencing a transformative moment at age 20 when he refused to draft a bill of sale for a slave, sparking his lifelong opposition to slavery. Initially a clerk and tailor, he was recorded as a Quaker minister around 1743 by the Burlington Monthly Meeting, dedicating himself to itinerant preaching. In 1741, he married Sarah Ellis, with whom he had two children, though only one daughter, Mary, survived infancy. Woolman’s preaching career unfolded through extensive travels across the American colonies—from New England to the Carolinas—where he spoke at Quaker meetings, urging Friends to abolish slaveholding and embrace simplicity, often funding his journeys by tailoring. His soft-spoken yet resolute sermons, coupled with personal acts like wearing undyed clothing to protest exploitation, embodied his belief in the “Inner Light” guiding ethical living. His Journal (published posthumously in 1774) detailed his spiritual journey and anti-slavery efforts, while works like Some Considerations on the Keeping of Negroes (1754) influenced Quakers to adopt abolitionist policies by 1776. Woolman died of smallpox on October 7, 1772, in York, England, during a final preaching tour, leaving a legacy as a preacher whose quiet persistence reshaped Quakerism and advanced the moral case against slavery in America.
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