John Wesley: Thoughts Upon Slavery
The term “slavery” conjures powerful emotions and carries significant historical and ethical weight. Its impact on individuals and societies has been deep and far-reaching. In this post, we’ll delve into John Wesley’s 1774 essay, Thoughts Upon Slavery.
Wesley, an Anglican clergyman and co-founder of the Methodist movement, was a staunch advocate for social reform. He tackled issues like poverty, education, and prison conditions, emphasizing both personal holiness and social responsibility, known today as Biblical justice. Wesley was unequivocal in his condemnation of slavery, viewing it as a serious moral failure that contradicted Christian values of love and equality.
In Thoughts Upon Slavery, Wesley curates a collection of journal entries written by people directly involved in various tasks related to the procurement of slaves. He shares their remarks, including descriptive details of the environment and circumstances, followed by his personal responses to the historical documentation. An example is from Monsignor Bene, who lived along the Senegal coast for sixteen years. He described life before the captors arrived in that country as
“Fruitfulness near the sea…abounding in…Indian corn and various fruits. Here are vast meadows, which feed large herds of great and small cattle. I was surprised to see the land so well cultivated. Their beef is excellent; poultry plenty, and very cheap, as are all the necessities of life.” The soil is in general fertile, producing an abundance of rice and roots. Indigo and cotton thrive without cultivation. Fish is in great plenty; the flocks and herds are numerous, and the trees loaden with fruit.”[1]
He goes on to describe how different the reality of this beautiful land is from the reputation it holds as a “Dreary, bare and wretched place.”[2]
Monsignor Adanson, Correspondent of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris offers the following account from Guinea. He says that “Negroes constantly go to public prayers thrice a day. There is an ease and quietness; simplicity in their dress and manners; generally speaking, very good-natured, sociable, and obliging. There is no doubt, but that with proper instruments, they would become excellent astronomers.”[3]
After reading this essay, I would assert that a key aspect of slavery is less about compensation earned for work and more about humanity and dignity. It’s about the ability to simply exist and the belief that God has called each person for such a time as this. Instead, the act of slavery punishes people for existing. Many of the early victims of abductions experienced a pre-colonization world that was calm and peaceful at its core, only to then be pulled into a tragic and traumatic situation that only God can reconcile and make sense of.
Quite frankly, this was a difficult text to read. I found myself having both physical and mental reactions to the stories included by the author. Wesley’s essay highlights massive abductions that were authorized by law of unsuspecting victims – mothers, fathers, and entire families. Tactics used to capture people included burning entire towns, sometimes killing thousands of individuals. Those who survived were stripped of their families and children, clothing, and dignity and treated as simple chattel, placed onto ships for voyage to become currency for someone in a faraway land. Distress and sickness were rampant in the crowded conditions. Those who died were simply tossed into the sea with little regard for their soul’s existence on this side of heaven. Survivors may have considered them to be blessed by the gift of death.
Wesley differentiated between slavery, which imposes, “Perpetual service, an obligation which only the consent of the master can dissolve,”[4], and indentured servitude, which was a more acceptable practice with a fixed term of obligation. His definition sent me searching through my own family history, which intersects with this topic. In 1778, just five years after Wesley’s publication, one of my grandfathers sailed to America from Hertfordshire, England as an indentured servant. He spent three years working off a debt to a physician—probably a loan that helped cover his journey.
I wanted to find a current-day application in the message from Wesley. Society seems to generally accept personal labor offered as a form of debt repayment. What does that mean for contemporary prison work environments? According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, “Federal inmates earn 12 cents to 40 cents per hour for jobs serving the prison, and 23 cents to $1.15 per hour in Federal Prison Industries factories.”[5] As a result, offenders have “Little hope of saving money while in prison, and this lack of money combined with a fragile post-release support system creates an explosive formula for recidivism and reincarceration.[6]
While sentences for prisoners may fall under a “fixed term of obligation,” their inability to gain freedom from their incarceration through the work being completed would eliminate the link to indentured servitude. I am not ready to equate their work in prison to slavery, as the brutality shown to those who suffered under it in Wesley’s time is simply too barbaric to compare. However, there is an opportunity to use the lessons from the author’s text. By creating an opportunity for a prisoner’s work to both prepare them for life after their release and make that release more quickly or easily attainable, we can distance the situation of these men and women from the horrible brutality of the documented history Wesley presents.
[1] Wesley, John. Thoughts Upon Slavery. Classic. Vol. XI. The Works of John Wesley. London: Lettel Books, 1773.p.4-5.
[2] Ibid. p.5
[3] Ibid. p.6
[5] “Time to Reckon with Prison Labor | Institution for Social and Policy Studies.” Accessed September 8, 2024. https://isps.yale.edu/news/blog/2013/10/time-to-reckon-with-prison-labor-0#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Federal%20Bureau,for%20private%20companies%20as%20well.
About the Author
Jennifer Eckert
Fundraising director, people connector, believer in second chances, fights poverty, supports justice reform, lives a life integrated with Matthew 25.14 responses to “John Wesley: Thoughts Upon Slavery”
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Thanks for your blog, Jennifer. You’ve tackled a difficult text to process. Well done! What prompted you to choose this text? What did you learn about Wesley’s leadership that might apply to the work that you are doing?
Thanks, Graham. This wasn’t my first choice book. Actually, the first option was Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. I read the whole thing but just wasn’t feeling as moved by it as I hoped, so I decided to look for something by John Wesley. I want to narrow my NPO more into the realm of a Methodist response to hunger and incarceration rather than keeping it as a broad Christian response, so I actually stumbled upon the book not knowing what I was getting into. It was $5 and only 25 pages, but boy, what a game-changer. I learned about Wesley’s deeply courageous leadership. He sharply opposed something that was completely inhumane, yet wildly popular with Kings and top government leaders, and his basis of measurement was the Bible. The more I learn about John Wesley, the more I like him and treasure getting to spend time at Oxford in his wake. Speaking out against injustice is something I used to do a lot of; however, now I work in the trenches to reshape the systems rather than just speaking out. Calling out wrongs is just the first step. The hard work goes much deeper and is more difficult to shift social norms.
Hi Jennifer, great post. I wish I had time to read Thoughts Upon Slavery.
I can see how many (even Christians) can disregard Imago Dei when thinking of inmates. How do you coach people to see prisoners as being made in the image of God?
Everyone is made in the image of Christ – even those who find themselves in prison. However; it is difficult to counter the tough-on-crime rhetoric pushed by political candidates, which fuels a punitive environment that continues punishing people even after their sentence is complete.
Depending on the person, I try to educate them in their own love language, so to speak. For people interested in economics, I lead with a cost and collateral damage perspective. For people who truly try to live their lives in a faith-forward approach, I use a more biblical approach. Still, at times, I encounter a donor in my career who cares little about the prisoner but is deeply concerned about the children left behind.
I believe John Wesley’s compassion for “others” is an excellent model for contemporary Christians to follow. Go into the hard places that others refuse to go. That is where you will find Jesus living stronger and brighter than ever.
Jennifer,
Good job on your post and tying your reading to your NPO. I know that you have been in Birmingham recently and are seeing the remnants of the bombing and racism there. Might this tie into Wesley’s book on slavery? How might you tie the book, your work in prisons and Birmingham together?
Great questions, Adam. Birmingham is always a special place to visit but about four months ago I was in Montgomery, AL for the first time. I drove through on my way back from visiting a women’s prison and stopped at the town square, a popular place with restaurants, art galleries, outdoor statues, and historical markers. One of the most shocking signs I have ever seen was a brass marker memorializing that exact spot of a slave market. It went on to describe which qualities of the person were tied to the procurement cost. The sign was no celebration, but rather marking the stain on American history. I had a physical reaction (nausea) envisioning the realities of the description. We are barely 100 years beyond slavery and in fact, Oklahoma has two survivors left at ages 108 and 109, from the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots. The issue of slavery will fold into my NPO but having Wesley’s perspective will help me shape ideas around the prototype that could happen. I plan to introduce it in the design workshop with a few fiery questions to see what type of response others have. Thanks for asking and for walking this journey together in the peer group.
Hi Jennifer. Knowing your NPO, it’s no surprise to me that you would read such a harrowing and compelling book by Wesley. Tough stuff. Thanks for your blog.
In context with your NPO, I appreciate your approach to modern prison labour and the suggestion to use work as a means of rehabilitation and preparation for life after release. It is a meaningful application of Wesley’s teachings on dignity and humanity. Love your heart in this.
How else do you think Wesley’s message of social justice could influence today’s prison reform efforts?
Great question! Wesley believed in Biblical justice (accountability + restoration) which is very different from the punitive mass warehousing model of “lock ’em up and throw away the key” that operates today. Furthermore, state-run prisons have zero funding in their budgets for rehabilitative programs, so it is 100% incumbent upon churches and nonprofits to provide those. Prisons located in remote parts of the country are difficult to reach and as such, programs are limited if any are available at all.
Wesley’s message of compassion and restoration rings loud in my heart and mind. Like Jesus, we are called to love those living on the margins, and certainly, people in prison are marginalized. They live in a “very special gated community.”
While there is a bit of national momentum growing for reform, it will take a tremendous amount of money and willpower to overhaul the broken justice system that currently operates. But we must start somewhere and the ministry I am employed with is certainly a leader. They are the only ones working holistically with the inmates (residents), the staff, the families outside of prison, and policy reform at the state and national levels. I think John Wesley would be pleased with this level of work, but would agree there is still much more to do.
Hi Jennifer, Thank you for highlighting an important text. I appreciated how you added the observations from individuals and how the reality of African countries did not match their initial assumptions. I am curious if you experienced anything like this when entering prisons for the first time? Did you have initial assumptions that did not match the reality? Great post!
Thanks, Elysse.
Honestly, yes – I had initial assumptions about prison before going in. Between movie portrayals and political rhetoric, we are conditioned to fear those incarcerated. But I was quite surprised to learn they are just like us on the outside.
They are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers. They are college math teachers, Hurricane Katrina first responders, and combat veterans who flew Apache helicopters in the Gulf War. They are mortgage brokers, pastors, and small business owners. They are college students today and they work jobs around the prison including maintenance and as orderlies caring for the sick and elderly. They are certified life coaches and hospice workers (still fulfilling these functions as inmates inside the prison). They have dreams and plans for life after prison, such as operating a food truck, launching a graphic design business, etc.
One area that has really surprised me is the resilience and ability to parent from prison — even tutoring their children via video tablets. Imagine helping your child with algebra homework on a Tuesday night at 8:00 from a video tablet in prison. It’s happening every single day. These are the measures that Hollywood does not pick up. People in prison are not the sum total of their worst day just like people outside of prison. We are them. They are us. Corruption and crime happen all around us every single day; some just don’t get caught, and a majority of the time, when you peel back the layers of the onion, you will learn that men and women are victims of abuse and crime long before their crime happens.
Hi Jennifer, From the very start of your blog where Monsignor Bene described the richness of the coast, vegetaion, and bounty of the sea there was an important visual that most of us don’t think about. What was life before slavery? What was life like before incarceration? It is easy to not remember humanity when someone is locked away and out of sight. What opportunities does your prison work offer those who are incarcerated to remember they are cherished by God and deserving to be seen and heard?
Thank you, Diane. Probably much like you and the beautiful population you serve, I walk in the door wearing a bright flashing sign that says, “You are Loved and Worthy!” Well, maybe not to that extent, but almost.
My ministry, which engages through several organizations, searches for the humanity and common denominator of love across all of the faces I see. I look them in the eye, smile and nod, ask how their day is going, shake their hand, and if I know their name, I say it — their first name. I celebrate the small wins (walking without a walker today!) and I pray for them. Even more, I ask them to pray for me. It is deeply humbling to be surrounded by prisoners who are laying hands on your shoulders and lifting your needs up to the Father. Last weekend, sweet Winnie, a 73ish-year-old woman, and I shared a good belly laugh when her dentures fell out of her mouth. She was fast to catch ’em! I love that sister/prison pastor.
Organizationally, my employer offers multiple in-prison programs for residents and staff, as well as programs for family members outside of prison and policy work at the state and national levels. We have come a long way, but we still have so far to go.
Hi Jennifer. As a Methodist I am always leaning into perspectives on John Wesley and appreciate your highlighting his views on slavery. This is a hard part of our history but Wesley was forthright in his opinions.
I also appreciated your tie in to incareration. Beisdes incarceration as an example, How do you feel Wesley’s reading further challenges us in our present ?
Great question! Education is a big one. Wesley’s education came from his mother, Susanna, and it was rooted in religion (Christian education). He has such a humanitarian perspective that it makes me want to study his mother. I wonder where her kindness and compassion are rooted.
In Oklahoma, where I live, there is currently a debate about whether tax dollars can be used to fund religious education, which are private institutions. The debate about church and state is at the forefront of our local news. Today, the religious institutions are Christian except for a newly opened Islamic private school. There is another local group that constantly threatens a Satanic response to any sort of government openness to religion (a statue of the Ten Commandments means that a statue of Satan must be allowed).
The formula of education that Wesley received was clearly unique and monumental and his work thereafter was ordained by God. What might it look like in today’s environment to have other types of religious schools? The question causes Christians to bristle, leaving the issue of religious education to be cyclical with no clear solution. In a country with more “nones” declaring any type of religion, I am left to ponder and explore other ways that John Wesley can (and has) impact in everyday life today and in the future.