John Jasper (July 4, 1812 – March 30, 1901) was an ex-slave who became a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

minister and noted public speaker for Christianity after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Early life

Born into slavery on July 4, 1812, in

Fluvanna County, Virginia Fluvanna County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,249. Its county seat is Palmyra, while the most populous community is the census designated place of Lak ...

, to Philip and Tina Jasper one of twenty-four children of Philip. Philip was a well known

preacher while Tina was a slave of a Mr. Peachy. Jasper was hired out to various people and when Mr. Peachy's mistress died, he was given to her son, John Blair Peachy, a lawyer who moved to Louisiana. Jasper's time in Louisiana was short, as his new master soon died, and he returned to

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

.Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887, pp. 1064–1072. Jasper experienced a personal conversion to Christianity in Capital Square in 1839. Jasper convinced a fellow slave to teach him to read and write, and began studying to become a Baptist minister."John Jasper"
African American Trailblazers in Virginia History, virginia.gov.

Family

Jasper married three times: first to Elvy Weaden, who left him, secondly, to Candus Jordan in 1844, with whom he had nine children before they divorced, and thirdly to Mary Ann Cole in 1863, who died on August 6, 1874.

Career

For more than two decades, Rev. Jasper traveled throughout Virginia, often preaching at funeral services for fellow slaves. He often preached at Third Baptist Church in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

. He also preached to

Confederate Soldiers The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

(1861–65). John Jasper 1902

After his own emancipation following the American Civil War, Rev. Jasper founded the

Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church is a historic African-American Baptist church located in Richmond, Virginia. The church was founded in 1867. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. History background The sanctuary ...

in Richmond, which by 1887 had attracted 2500 members and served as a religious and social center of Richmond's predominantly black

Jackson Ward Jackson Ward is a historically African-American district in Richmond, Virginia with a long tradition of African-American businesses. It is located less than a mile from the Virginia State Capitol, sitting to the west of Court End and north of B ...

—providing a Sunday School and other services. Jasper's vivid oratory and dramatic speaking style brought renown and calls for him to preach throughout the Eastern United States. His most famous sermon, ''The Sun Do Move'', expressed his deep faith in God through the imagery of a

flat Earth The flat-Earth model is an archaic and scientifically disproven conception of Earth's shape as a plane or disk. Many ancient cultures subscribed to a flat-Earth cosmography, including Greece until the classical period (5th century BC), the ...

above which the sun circuits. He first preached this sermon in March 1878 on the basis of Biblical revelation. Despite his views being contrary to modern scientific theory, he went on to preach this sermon 273 times throughout the U.S., often to thousands of people at once, as well as in London, Paris, and before the Virginia General Assembly.

Death and legacy

John Jasper left a lasting legacy as one of the most respected figures in Richmond's history, especially among the African-American and Southern Baptist communities. He delivered his last sermon a few days before his death at the age of 88. The

Library of Virginia The Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It serves as the archival agency and the reference library for Virginia's seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and i ...

honored him as one of the African-American trailblazers in its "Strong Men and Women" series in 2012. The words of his most famous sermon, ''The Sun Do Move'', have since bee
modernized
into standard english from the original patois. His name is remembered for his unswerving allegiance to The Bible from which he preached.

References

External links

1812 births 1901 deaths 19th-century African-American people African-American Baptist ministers Baptists from Virginia Flat Earth proponents People from Fluvanna County, Virginia 19th-century American clergy {{AfricanAmerican-stub