September 7

Paul Cuffee and John Whittier

Author

David Barnhart
September 07, 2025

Today marks the death, in 1817, of Paul Cuffee, a multiracial (Black and Wampanoag) Quaker abolitionist and sea captain. He and his brother raised objections to being taxed without representation in Massachusetts, which eventually led to voting rights for all free males in the state. He was also heavily involved in helping the economic development of Sierra Leone and Liberia, which were settled by formerly enslaved persons. He founded the first school in the United States open to children of any race. 

Today marks the death, in 1892, of another famous Quaker abolitionist, John Whittier, who was known for his poetry and political lobbying. 

Reflection: 

Henry Louis Gates has a short blog about Paul Cuffee here. Paul Cuffee wrote:

My soul feels free to travel for the welfare of my fellow creatures both here and hereafter.

John Whittier wrote this poem which was turned into a hymn: 

Fold to your heart your sister and your brother:
where pity dwells, the peace of God is there;
to worship rightly and to love each other,
each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer.
For he whom Jesus loved has truly spoken:
the holier worship which He deigns to bless
restores the lost, and binds the spirit broken,
and feeds the widow and the fatherless.

Whittier’s poem reflects the Quaker belief that deeds, not words, are the best way to express divine love and justice.

Prayer: God of Love and Justice, may we see love and justice fulfilled in our lifetimes. Amen.