The Freedom Ring

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when we shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifiers himself, even as he is pure." -- I John III : 2, 3. Preached by Rev. Henry Ward Beecher Sunday Morning, October 5th, 1863 Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, NY If we trace our relationship, through moral experience and equality, to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Elder Brother, and if through him the children of God can say, in sincerity and in truth, “Our Father," then everyone in that line should have a sense of personal worth that will be of incalculable value to them. The want of suitable pride is one of our biggest curses. The race suffers for the want of that sense of character, that sense of dignity, which alone can hold men back from things little and low, and keep them always in the line of things worthy. This is inspired by a sense of our ...

  The Sinfulness of Racism and Slavery 6 examples of the harm caused to America, by Henry Ward Beecher American Slave Auction “Let us take a look and see if there is any testimony, under God’s great moral government, on the subject of the sinfulness of racism and slavery.” The following words of this article were originally spoken by the abolitionist pastor of Brooklyn, Henry Ward Beecher. They were delivered in one of his weekly sermons at Plymouth Church, this one called “National Injustice and Penalty.” I have lightly adapted the text in order to modernize the victorian style language. This was no ordinary Sunday in our nation’s history. There was a high level of intensity in the air. Possibly thicker than that of 1960 and 2020. This one God given Sunday took place during May of 1861. The American Civil War had broken out one month earlier on April 12th, 1861. Let's take a look at how Mr. Beecher lays out six examples of how racism and slavery in America violates ...

Two Ships, One Lie — 1619 & US History The Story of 1619, the Birth of Slavery in America, as told in 1861 (US Civil War) Introduction by Michael Soussan , (Author, Journalist, and former UN Humanitarian Worker) who unearths and presents to us a speech given months before the Civil War broke out, given by the Abolitionist Pastor from Brooklyn, Henry Ward Beecher. This took place at Plymouth Church on Jan. 4th, 1861. The Speech is Titled — “Our Blameworthiness” The year 1619 has recently become the subject of a series of articles called “The 1619 Project” published by The New York Times because it narrates the origins of America’s enduring race problem. It can be said that the early American Puritans traded in slavery from day one. On the same day that the Puritans arrived in the North , another ship with African bonded slaves reached the American coast in the South . The Puritans — whose religion preached a purist adherence to biblical values, were not “pure” when it came to slav...

The Reward of Loving The following passage is adapted from a sermon given in 1871 in Brooklyn, NY, called "The Reward of Loving." Henry Ward Beecher was the most famous preacher in America and throughout Europe at this point in time. Adapted and Edited by  Matthew Hernandez, Independent Journalist History is never done depicting those men who could live in deprivation- who could live hungry, thirsty, and needy. Men who could live persecuted and outcast. Men who were greater than the age in which they lived. We need such men now. Men strong enough to make necessary sacrifices now, even though that effort may not deliver benefits for a decade. In this sacrifice and fortitude, we have raised our conception of manhood upon the very possibility of patient struggle, and finding a positive frame of mind in the midst of suffering.  We do not bring up our children to the idea that a truly happy life is a life in which they are not obliged to learn anything. What do you think of childr...