Benjamin Morgan Palmer Explained

Benjamin Morgan Palmer (January 25, 1818 – May 28, 1902)^[1] was a Presbyterian minister and theologian in the United States.^[2] He served as first Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS) in 1861.^[3]

Life

Palmer was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1818 and became a minister in the Southern Presbyterian church. He served in Georgia (1841–42), South Carolina (1843-55) and New Orleans (1856-1902). He received his Doctor of Divinity degree in 1852.^[4]

The PCUS was formed by secession from the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1861 as a result of the American Civil War. Dr Palmer was appointed Moderator of its first General Assembly in 1861.

He advocated heavily for the secession of Louisiana from the United States to join the Confederacy, with his notorious "Thanksgiving Sermon" serving as a major catalyst for the Confederate movement.

He died in 1902 after an accident in New Orleans.

Legacy

Palmer Park in New Orleans was named after him during Jim Crow, but due to his racist background was renamed after Ellis Marsalis Jr. on July 1, 2021.^[5]

Publications

1875 The Life and Letters of James Henley Thornwell, B.M. Palmer.
1894 The Theology of Prayer, B.M. Palmer.
1906 The Life and Letters of Benjamin Morgan Palmer by T.C. Johnson.

Notes and References

Web site: Palmer, Benjamin Morgan. South Carolina Encyclopedia. Clarke. Erskine. August 28, 2022.
Web site: Weldon. Nick. 2019-11-22. On Thanksgiving 1860, a New Orleans pastor's sermon defending slavery rallied the secessionist movement. live. 2021-07-01. The Historic New Orleans Collection. https://web.archive.org/web/20200612174840/https://www.hnoc.org/publications/first-draft/thanksgiving-1860-new-orleans-pastors-sermon-defending-slavery-rallied . 2020-06-12 .
Web site: Benjamin Morgan Palmer sermon, 1848. Legacy Library. 14 May 2021.
Web site: B. M. Palmer. Banner of Truth. 14 May 2021.
Web site: Adelson. Jeff. 2021-06-30. These 3 New Orleans parks will soon have new names; plus, a street name will honor Fats Domino. live. 2021-07-01. The Times-Picayune. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210701001324/https://www.nola.com/news/politics/article_2ec62d2a-d9fb-11eb-8528-af4e166faf5d.html . 2021-07-01 .