Nehemiah Adams | |
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| Born | (1806-02-19)February 19, 1806 Salem, Massachusetts, US |
| Died | October 6, 1878(1878-10-06) (aged 72) |
| Alma mater | Harvard University, Andover Theological Seminary |
| Occupation | clergyman |
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ReverendNehemiah Adams (February 19, 1806 – October 6, 1878) was an American clergyman and writer.
He was born inSalem, Massachusetts,[1] in 1806 to Nehemiah Adams and Mehitabel Torrey Adams. He graduated fromHarvard University in 1826, and fromAndover Theological Seminary in 1829. That same year, he was ordained as co-pastor, withAbiel Holmes, of theFirst Congregational Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[2] In 1832, he married Martha Hooper.
In 1834, he became pastor of Union Congregational Church inBoston, Massachusetts. He would remain in that position until his death in 1878.[2] In 1850, he married again, to Sarah Brackett.
In 1854, he took a trip to the American South, and wrote a book entitledA South-Side View of Slavery (Boston, 1855).[3] In the book, he laudedslavery as beneficial to theNegroes' religious character.[1][4] This book was one of several polemic works he wrote. It caused a great sensation, and he received much hostile criticism. The book was attacked by abolitionists for its perceived moderation; the abolitionist newspaperThe Liberator called it "as vile a work as was ever written, in apology and defence of 'the sum of all villanies'".[5]
In 1861, Adams wrote a successor volume,The Sable Cloud, a Southern Tale with Northern Comments, to answer his attackers, and it was met with a similar response.[6]
He also wroteThe Cross in the Cell,Scriptural Argument for Endless Punishment,Broadcast,At Eventide,[2] and aLife ofJohn Eliot.[1] He was a member of theAmerican Tract Society and the American Board for Foreign Missions.[2]
In 1869, in consequence of his failing health, his people procured an associate pastor and gave Adams a long leave of absence. He made a voyage round the world and described it inUnder the Mizzenmast: A Voyage Around the World (1871).[2]
Adams died in 1878, aged 72. He left nine children.
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