Slavery

In the years preceding the American Civil War, religion was at the heart of the debate over slavery. William Ellery Channing (1780–1842) had rejected the strict Calvinism of his background to become the leading Unitarian spokesman and preacher, and in later life he began to address the subject of slavery. Published in 1836, this work was Channing's most substantial contribution to the debate, revealing the real difficulties men such as Channing had in questioning a practice with which they ...