John Weiss (June 28, 1818 – March 9, 1879) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

author and clergyman, an advocate of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, as well as a noted

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

Biography

Weiss was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. His father, a German Jew, was a barber in

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Englan ...

. He graduated at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1837 and at the

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

in 1843, studying abroad in between. He then preached at

Watertown Watertown may refer to: Places in China In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways. Places in the United States *Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town **Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...

, but withdrew on account of his anti-slavery opinions. He was pastor at

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

, for a short time, resigning on account of the failure of his health. After several years of study and travel he resumed his pastorate in the Unitarian church at

in 1859, remaining there until 1870. On the issue of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

the Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

John Weiss was an outspoken abolitionist. He was an advocate of woman's rights, a rationalist in religion, and a disciple of the transcendental philosophy. He delivered courses of lectures on "Greek Religious Ideas," "Humor in Shakespeare," and "Shakespeare's Women." Of his lectures on Greek religious ideas, Octavius B. Frothingham said: "They were the keenest interpretation of the ancient myths, the most profound, luminous, and sympathetic, I have met with."

Works

He is the author of many reviews, sermons, and magazine articles on literary, biographical, social, and political questions. He also wrote: *''Life and Correspondence of

Theodore Parker Theodore Parker (August 24, 1810 – May 10, 1860) was an American transcendentalist and reforming minister of the Unitarian church. A reformer and abolitionist, his words and popular quotations would later inspire speeches by Abraham Lincol ...

'' (2 vols., New York, 1864) *''American Religion'' (1871) He edited and translated: *

Friedrich von Hardenberg Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (2 May 1772 – 25 March 1801), pen name Novalis (), was a German polymath who was a writer, philosopher, poet, aristocrat and mystic. He is regarded as an idiosyncratic and influential figure of ...

, ''Henry of Ofterdingen'' (a romance, Boston, 1842) *

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

, ''Philosophical and Æsthetic Letters and Essays'' (with an introduction, 1845) * William Smith, ''Memoir of Johann G. Fichte'' (1846)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, John 1818 births 1879 deaths American abolitionists American feminist writers American people of German-Jewish descent American theologians American Unitarian clergy Harvard Divinity School alumni Jewish American writers Jewish feminists American male feminists American feminists Writers from Boston Abolitionists from New Bedford, Massachusetts 19th-century American clergy

Biography

Works

References

Further reading

External links