The First Martyr of the Abolition Movement: 100 Bible Verses That Made America

Deciding on what to listen to is hard. Using Zumo to stream music from iHeart90's radio is easy.

Or play iHeart Country or Hip Hop Beats. Your choice, all for free. Stream easy with Zumo Play. Get live and on-demand entertainment with no logins, no signups, no accounts, no hassle.

This September, have Movie Night with the blockbuster hit Godzilla and Resident Evil starring Mila Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez. Streaming free on Zumo Play. Go to play.zumo.com now.

Life is hard. Zumo is easy. Here's a little secret. Most smartphone deals aren't that exciting. To be honest, they're barely worth mentioning. But then there's AT&T and their best deals. Those are quite exciting. They're the kind of deals that are really worth talking about. Like their deal on the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6. With this deal, you can trade in your eligible smartphone any year, any condition for a new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6. It's so good, in fact, it will have you shouting from the rooftops. So get yourself down to street level and learn how to snag the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 on AT&T.

And maybe grab a ladder on the way home. AT&T. Connecting changes everything. Requires trade-in of Galaxy S Note or Z Series smartphone. Limited time offer. 256 gigabytes for zero dollars. Additional fees, terms and restrictions apply.

See att.com slash Samsung or visit an AT&T store for details. Is your body trying to tell you something? Tiredness, lack of focus, trouble sleeping, bloating? These things can affect your quality of life. That's where Symbiotica can help. The supplement brand is made with quality ingredients, free of seed oils and shady additives.

And they taste delicious. The time to feel better starts now at symbiotica.com. Use the code IHART to get 20% off and free shipping on your subscription order. That's C-Y-M-B-I-O-T-I-K-A.com. That's symbiotica.com.

Hey everyone, this is Jodi Sweeten from How Rude Tanaritos. Hyundai's most electric EV lineup is going to change everything that you thought about EVs. One thing that you're absolutely going to love and that's going to grab your attention is the ultra-fast charging in the IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6. No more waiting around for your car to charge. These EVs can go from 10 to 80% in as little as 18 minutes using a 350-kilowatt, 800-volt DC ultra-fast charger.

Now that is fast. Plus, you get America's best warranty with a 10-year, 100,000-mile limited electric battery warranty. Learn more about Hyundai EVs at HyundaiUSA.com. Call 562-314-4603 for complete details. America's best warranty claim based on total package of warranty programs. See dealer for limited warranty details.

See your Hyundai dealer for further details and limitations. Roku has what you need to make your college home away from home feel more like your own. Make your dorm the place to be with Roku TV or bring a Roku streaming stick to easily access all your favorite free and premium content like iHeartRadio. Stream your favorite playlist with the Roku vibe setting smart light strips to sync your music to millions of colors and make your dorm feel more like you. Make your dorm the place to be with Roku TV streaming players and smart lights.

Head to Roku.com or your favorite retailer to deck out your dorm. This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. If you want to know about the history of America, it's imperative that you know the role that the Bible played in shaping our country. Here to share another story is Robert Morgan who is the author of 100 Bible verses that made America defining moments that shaped our enduring foundation of faith.

Let's take a listen. Elijah Lovejoy was born in my wife's home state of Maine in 1802. His father was a congregational pastor and a farmer.

Lovejoy began reading his Bible at the age of four and while still very young he memorized the entire 119th Psalm which is the longest chapter in the Bible along with other passages and many classic hymns. He later graduated at the top of his class and decided to move west to St. Louis. His parents concerned for his spiritual well-being prayed earnestly for him and their prayers were answered when he wrote home telling them he had experienced a personal relationship with Christ during a revival meeting. He also told them that he was entering the presbyterian ministry.

He enrolled in Princeton and as he grew in his knowledge of scripture his convictions about the abolition of slavery deepened. Within a year Lovejoy was licensed to preach and while on a preaching circuit through Missouri he met Celia Anne French and fell in love with her and married her. Lovejoy didn't confine his sermons to the pulpit. Returning to St. Louis he became the editor of a weekly Christian publication called the St. Louis Observer.

The first issue rolled off the press on November the 22nd of 1833. In his opening editorial Lovejoy wrote that his paper will seek no controversy and it will decline none when by so doing it might compromise the purity of the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. The Observer became a vehicle for teaching scripture relating the news of the day and interpreting the latter by the former. His editorials were must reading and sparks began to fly when he set forth the biblical facts and the brutal truths about slavery. On April the 16th 1832 Lovejoy wrote prophetically while Christians have been slumbering over it the eye of God has not slumbered nor has his justice been an indifferent spectator of the scene. The groans and sighs and tears and blood of the poor slave have gone up as a memorial before the throne of heaven in due time they will descend in awful curses upon this land unless averted by the speedy repentance of us all. Lovejoy's drumbeat against slavery sparked an uproar in St. Louis. Mobs formed threatening his newspaper and threatening his life. Officials sought to silence him demanding he pass over in silence everything connected to the subject of slavery.

Crowds marched into the street chanting down with the observer. Lovejoy was threatened with whipping he said I cannot surrender my principles though the whole world beside should vote them down. Asserting his freedom of speech he fired off another series of blistering editorials condemning slavery with all of its horrors. He compared himself to his namesake in the Bible Elijah who stood before Ahab rebuking his sins and who refused to be silenced. He said I do therefore as an American citizen and a Christian patriot and in the name of liberty and law and religion solemnly protest against all these attempts how so ever and by whom so ever made to frown down the liberty of the press and forbid the free expression of opinion. Under a deep sense of my own obligations to my country and church and to my God I declare it will be my fixed purpose to submit to no such dictation. Writing to his brother Elijah Lovejoy said men came to me and told me that I could not walk through the streets of Saint Louis by night or by day.

I was alone in Saint Louis with none but God to whom to ask counsel but thrice blessed be his name he did not forsake me I was enabled deliberately and unreservedly to surrender myself to him. When it became impossible for Lovejoy to dwell in Saint Louis he moved 30 miles away to Alton, Illinois. His printing press which was transported by a boat up the Mississippi was destroyed by a mob upon its arrival.

He ordered another press from Cincinnati and the paper resumed publishing on August the 17th 1837. Another mob surrounded him shoved him around and destroyed his new press Lovejoy ordered a third one. About 10 pm on November 21st in the light of a full moon a mob of about 30 men armed with rocks and pistols left local taverns and began marching toward Elijah Lovejoy's house.

Church bells rang and by midnight the whole town had assembled. The mob broke into his house and one of the rioters shot Lovejoy. Three bullets struck his chest another his stomach and another his left arm.

His new printing press was destroyed and thrown into the Mississippi River and his hearse was hissed in the streets on the way to the cemetery. He was buried on his 35th birthday the first white martyr in America for the cause of abolition a fearless publisher who gave his life for the freedom of the press and a preacher of the gospel who once said I can die at my post but I cannot desert it. And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling by our own Greg Hengler and a special thanks to Robert Morgan the author of 100 bible verses that made America the story of Elijah Lovejoy here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country stories from our big cities and small towns but we truly can't do the show without you. Our stories are free to listen to but they're not free to make.

If you love what you hear go to our americanstories.com and click the donate button give a little give a lot go to our americanstories.com and give. Deciding on what to listen to is hard. Using zumo to stream music from I Heart 90s radio is easy or play I Heart Country or Hip Hop Beats. Your choice all for free. Stream easy with Zumo Play. Get live and on-demand entertainment with no logins, no signups, no accounts, no hassle. This September have movie night with the blockbuster hit Godzilla and Resident Evil starring Mila Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez streaming free on Zumo Play. Go to play.zumo.com now. Life is hard.

Zumo is easy. This is Malcolm Gladwell from Revisionist History. eBay Motors is here for the ride. With some elbow grease, fresh installs, and a whole lot of love, you transformed a hundred thousand miles and a body full of rust into a drive that's all your own. Brake kits, LED headlights, whatever you need, eBay Motors has it. And with eBay Guaranteed Fit it's guaranteed to fit your ride the first time, every time, or your money back. Plus at these prices, you're burning rubber not cash.

Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. Hey gorgeous, it's Paris Hilton. Get the party started with my new album Infinite Icon out now and stream the new single, Bad Bitch Academy. I wanted this album to be an escape, to take people to a happy place where they can heal and party in equal measure and most of all be your own unapologetic icon. Listen on iHeartRadio and visit infiniteicon.com to order the album.

Sponsored by 11-11 Media. Roku has what you need to make your college home away from home feel more like your own. Make your dorm the place to be with Roku TV or bring a Roku streaming stick to easily access all your favorite free and premium content like iHeartRadio. Stream your favorite playlist with the Roku vibe setting smart light strips to sync your music to millions of colors and make your dorm feel more like you. Make your dorm the place to be with Roku TV, streaming players, and smart lights.

Head to roku.com or your favorite retailer to deck out your dorm. Are you spending a fortune while shopping on Amazon? What if I said you can earn cash back while you shop? Introducing Drop, the ultimate rewards app. Whether it's fashion, electronics, or groceries, you can earn free gift cards just by shopping online or in store at tons of your favorite brands. Download the Drop app now and start earning while you shop. Plus for a limited time use code DROP11 to get five dollars in points instantly.