James henley thornwell biography of williams

American theologian

This article is about the minister. For the orphanage, see Thornwell Orphanage.

James Henley Thornwell (December 9, – August 1, ) 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 and preached a doctrine that claimed slavery to be morally right and justified by the tenets of Christianity. But contrary to many proponents of slavery, he preached that the African American population were people created in the image of God just like whites and that they should call slaves their brothers.^[2][3] He became prominent in the Old School Presbyterian denomination in the south, preaching and writing on