Marc’s in D.C. today, and stopped by New York Avenue Presbyterian Church by the White House. 200 years ago in 1825, the Minister of New York Avenue Presbyterian preached to a sitting U.S. President. That President was John Quincy Adams, whom the Minister called “one of the best friends I ever had.”
John Quincy Adams was an abolitionist. He is portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in the movie “Amistad,” during a pre-Civil War era when DC politics was dominated by his political opposition in the reactionary American South. That frustrating era lasted until 1860, when another attendee of this abolitionist church ascended to the White House and realigned American politics for a generation. Abraham Lincoln’s funeral services after his assassination were held at New York Avenue Presbyterian.
In the movie “Amistad,” John Quincy Adams notes his differences with the American South as he delivers the following speech before the U.S. Supreme Court in an attempt liberate an enslaved client:
“Now gentlemen, I must say I differ with the keen minds of the South, offering that the natural state of mankind is instead — and I know this is a controversial idea — is freedom. And the proof is the length to which a man, woman, or child will go to regain it once taken. He will break loose his chains. He will decimate his enemies. He will try and try and try against all odds, against all prejudices, to get home.”
Adams delivered his Amistad speech in 1839. By that year, his favorite 1825 preacher had left D.C. on a new mission. That preacher arrived in Texas in 1840 to establish the first Presbyterian College in the new republic. That effort was successful in 1849, when Daniel Baker……….the New York Avenue Presbyterian Minister to John Quincy Adams……….founded Austin College.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Avenue_Presbyterian_Church
