Elijah Lovejoy: The First Martyr of America’s Abolition Movement
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 4 June 2026
⏱️ 8 minutes
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Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, minister, newspaper editor, and abolitionist Elijah Lovejoy believed the Bible demanded opposition to slavery, and he was unwilling to stay silent about it. Through his anti-slavery newspaper, Lovejoy condemned slavery’s brutality, defended freedom of the press, and challenged a nation increasingly divided over one of its greatest injustices.
In this installment of 100 Bible Verses That Made America, historian and bestselling author Robert J. Morgan shares the story of the fiery preacher whose printing presses were repeatedly destroyed by mobs before he became the first martyr of America’s abolition movement.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.5 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:14.3 | This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, |
| 0:18.4 | the show where America is the star and the American people. If you want to know |
| 0:23.3 | about the history of America, it's imperative that you know the role that the Bible played in shaping |
| 0:28.4 | our country. Here to share another story is Robert Morgan, who is the author of 100 Bible verses |
| 0:34.9 | that made America defining moments that shaped our enduring foundation of faith. |
| 0:41.1 | Let's take a listen. |
| 0:50.0 | Elijah Lovejoy was born in my wife's home state of Maine in 1802. His father was a congregational |
| 0:57.2 | pastor and a farmer. Lovejoy began reading his Bible at the age of four, and while still very |
| 1:03.6 | young, he memorized the entire 119th Psalm, which is the longest chapter in the Bible, along with other passages and many |
| 1:13.2 | classic hymns. He later graduated at the top of his class and decided to move west to St. Louis. |
| 1:21.3 | His parents, concerned for his spiritual well-being, prayed earnestly for him, and their prayers were answered when |
| 1:29.0 | he wrote home telling them he had experienced a personal relationship with Christ during |
| 1:34.5 | a revival meeting. |
| 1:36.3 | He also told them that he was entering the Presbyterian ministry. |
| 1:40.9 | He enrolled in Princeton, and as he grew in his knowledge of Scripture, his convictions about |
| 1:47.0 | the abolition of slavery deepened. Within a year, Lovejoy was licensed to preach, and while on a |
| 1:56.0 | preaching circuit through Missouri, he met Celia and French, and in love with her and married her. Lovejoy didn't |
| 2:04.4 | confine his sermons to the pulpit. Returning to St. Louis, he became the editor of a weekly |
| 2:09.5 | Christian publication called The St. Louis Observer. The first issue rolled off the press on |
| 2:16.2 | November the 22nd of 1833. |
... |
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