Thornwell is born in South Carolina in 1812 where his soon to be widowed mother lacks funds for his education. But his intellectual capacity carries him to Charaw Academy and in 1829 to South Carolina College, graduating top of his class. In 1832 he is ordained as a pastor before heading to Harvard Divinity School as a New School Presbyterian. His 1835 marriage to Nancy Witherspoon brings ownership of the 300 acre Thorntree Plantation utilizing slave labor to grow indigo. He continues as Chaplain at South Carolina College while his preaching earns the sobriquet as the “John C. Calhoun of the Pulpit.” Daniel Webster calls him “the greatest pulpit orator I ever heard.” Thornwell contends that slavery is sanctioned in the Bible, and it is needed to enable superior minds to advance civilization. However he also argues that Blacks are not biologically or morally inferior to Whites, and that owners must treat them fairly and ensure their access to Christian rites and a chance for eternal salvation. Thornwell supports the Confederacy before dying in 1862 of tuberculosis.
James Henley Thornwell
