John Knox
John Knox was born in Haddington, near Edinburgh around 1514. In 1536 he graduated from St Andrews University and was ordained a priest. He became a notary and tutor, but in 1543 was converted to Christ and embraced the Reformed faith. He was much influenced by the preacher George Wishart, and became his bodyguard. After…
Read MoreFrederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was one of the most important figures of the 19th century, known for his role in the abolitionist movement and for becoming an internationally renowned spokesperson for freedom and equality. Born into slavery, Douglass escaped to the North, where he became a powerful voice for the enslaved and a fierce advocate for the…
Read MoreGeorge Taylor
Of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, George Taylor quintessentially exemplifies the hopes realized of America’s founding document. The groundbreaking resolution contained existential realities beating in every heart of mankind. Those given by Providence. Recognized and protected by a nascent government. George Taylor was born in 1716, the Irishman came to the colonies penniless…
Read MoreHarriet Tubman
Reverently called “Moses” by the hundreds of slaves she helped to freedom and the thousands of others she inspired, Harriet Tubman became the most famous leader of the Underground Railroad to aid slaves escaping to free states or Canada. Born into slavery in Bucktown, Maryland, Tubman escaped her own chains in 1849 to find safe…
Read MoreSamuel Ajayi Crowther
Crowther was born with the name Ajayi in Osogun, in the Egba section of the Yoruba people, in what is now western Nigeria. When about 13, he was taken as a slave by Fulani and Yoruba Muslim raiders and sold several times before being purchased by Portuguese traders for the transatlantic market. His ship was…
Read MoreSojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth was born into slavery about 1797 in Ulster County, New York. Known as Isabella, her parents were James and Betsey, the property of Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh. As a child she spoke only low Dutch and, like most slaves, never learned to read or write. About 1815 Isabella married Thomas, a fellow slave, and…
Read MoreRichard Allen
Born into slavery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 14, 1760, Richard Allen went on to become an educator, writer, minister and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Benjamin Chew, a Quaker lawyer, owned the Allen family, which included Richard’s parents and three other children. Chew eventually sold the Allen family to Stokeley Sturgis, a Delaware planter. At age…
Read MorePatrick
Much myth and legend surrounds the story of Patrick, born in Britain in the late 4th century. St. Patrick is often reduced to a mythical figure who performed magical feats (like driving all the snakes out of Ireland). The truth, as usual, is better than fiction! All that can be known about Patrick comes from two…
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