Joseph Parrish Thompson facts for kids

Joseph Parrish Thompson (1819–1879) was an important American leader. He was an abolitionist, meaning he worked to end slavery. He was also a Congregationalist minister and a writer. From 1845 to 1871, he was the pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle Church in New York City.

Joseph Thompson achieved many things in his life. He helped start The Independent, an anti-slavery newspaper. He also helped create the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He played a big part in starting 20 Congregational churches in New York City. Later in his life, he helped add a rule about religious freedom to an important international agreement called the Treaty of Berlin.

Early Life and Education

Joseph Parrish Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 7, 1819. His parents were Isaac Thompson and Mary Ann (Hanson). He went to Yale University and graduated in 1838. He then studied to become a minister. In November 1840, he became the pastor of the Chapel Street church in New Haven.

While in New Haven, he helped start a religious magazine called The New Englander. This magazine later became known as the Yale Review.

Leading the Broadway Tabernacle Church

In 1845, Joseph Thompson became the pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle church in New York City. This church was once the largest building in New York. He served there until 1871.

Fighting for Justice

Dr. Thompson used his church to speak out against slavery. He also supported women's suffrage, which meant women's right to vote. He often preached to large groups of about 2,500 people. He invited Black pastors to speak at the church. Famous abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth also spoke there.

Because of his strong support for the Union during the American Civil War, some people tried to burn down the church and his home in 1863. Church members stopped them. A supporter of the Confederacy even tried to shoot Dr. Thompson during a church service.

Growing the Church Community

During his time at the Broadway Tabernacle, Dr. Thompson helped start 20 new Congregational churches in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In 1852, he organized the first national meeting of Congregational churches in Albany. About 500 ministers and delegates from 17 states attended this important event.

Dr. Thompson also supported missionary work around the world. The church helped poor neighborhoods in New York City, including Hell's Kitchen. They opened the Bethany Mission there in 1868 to provide education and religious activities.

Founding The Independent

From 1848 to 1861, Dr. Thompson helped edit The Independent newspaper. This publication promoted the Congregational faith. It was also a very important voice for abolitionism and women's suffrage. The Independent even published poems by Emily Dickinson, helping her become more well-known.

Supporting the Union During the Civil War

Dr. Thompson often visited Washington, D.C., to talk with President Abraham Lincoln about the Civil War. He also worked with President Lincoln as the president of the Christian Union Commission, also known as the American Union Commission.

The Union League Club

Joseph Thompson was one of the first members of the Union League. This club was formed during the Civil War to support the Union and the Republican Party. Its goal was to get important leaders to support the Union and end slavery. Dr. Thompson gave a powerful speech called "Revolution Against Free Government, Not A Right, But A Crime" to the club.

Members of the Union League Club also helped create the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870. Dr. Thompson was a founding member of the museum's committee and spoke at the first meeting to discuss its creation.

Personal Sacrifice for the War Effort

When the Union Army needed more soldiers, Dr. Thompson helped his church raise $30,000 to support a new regiment.

Sadly, his son, Sergeant John Hanson Thompson, died during the Civil War. He was 21 years old. Dr. Thompson wrote a book about his son called The Sergeant's Memorial, by his Father.

Lincoln's Legacy

After President Lincoln was assassinated, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, gave Dr. Thompson one of the president's walking canes. She gave it to him because her husband greatly respected him. Dr. Thompson later gave the cane to the New York Historical Society. This cane had a history, having belonged to Henry Clay and Cassius M. Clay before Lincoln.

Rev. Thompson was a main speaker at President Lincoln's funeral ceremonies in New York City's Union Square. He also gave a moving speech about the President to the Union League Club.

Later Life and International Work

The intense work Dr. Thompson did for the war, ending slavery, and his church exhausted him. He resigned from the Broadway Tabernacle in late 1871 and moved to Germany in 1873.

Influence in Europe

In Germany, he became involved in important discussions. At the request of Prince Otto von Bismarck, a powerful German leader, Dr. Thompson wrote about the relationship between church and state in America. He also wrote "The Attitude of Germany in Regard to Ultramontanism," for which Bismarck personally thanked him.

Dr. Thompson spoke French and German very well. He often gave public speeches in these languages across Europe. In 1878, his influence helped the Berlin Congress include a rule about religious freedom in the Treaty of Berlin.

He lived in Berlin from 1873 until his death in 1879.

American Union Commission

The American Union Commission (AUC) was started in 1864 by Reverend Joseph P. Thompson and Reverend William I. Buddington. They saw the terrible conditions in the South after the Civil War. They realized there was a great need to help rebuild war-torn areas and assist those who had suffered.

They talked with Andrew Johnson, who was then the military Governor of Tennessee. He agreed that such an organization was important. Thompson and Buddington then returned to New York and discussed their plan with leading citizens. President Lincoln himself approved the plan with enthusiasm and helped create the commission's rules. The War Department gave the AUC the same transportation help it gave to other aid groups. After President Lincoln's death, Andrew Johnson became President of the United States and continued to support the commission.

The main work of the AUC was to provide practical help. They sent donated clothing and blankets to states like Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida. They also helped thousands of Southern refugees who came to New York after the war. They rented a large building to house women and children. The AUC even put beds on steamers traveling between New York and Southern ports to help people in transit.

Works

Joseph Parrish Thompson wrote many books and articles, including:

• The Fugitive Slave Law: Tried by the Old and New Testaments (1850)
• Photographic Views of Egypt, Past and Present (1856)
• The Sergeant's Memorial (1863)
• Revolution Against Free Government - Not a Right But a Crime (1864)
• Christianity and Emancipation, Or, The Teachings and the Influence of the Bible Against Slavery (1868)
• Man in Genesis and Geology (1870), a book about science and faith
• The Theology of Christ: From His Own Words (1871)
• Church and state in the United States (1873)
• Lucretius or Paul: Materialism and Theism Tested by the Nature and the Needs of Man (1875)