author
F. A. (Frederick Augustus) Ross
1796–1883
A 19th-century Presbyterian minister, editor, and polemical writer, he is now chiefly remembered for fiercely defending slavery in print. His career stretched from Virginia to Tennessee and Alabama, where he became a prominent and controversial religious voice.
1 Audiobook
Slavery Ordained of God
by F. A. (Frederick Augustus) Ross
About the author
Born in Cumberland County, Virginia, on December 25, 1796, Frederick Augustus Ross was educated at Dickinson College and entered the Presbyterian ministry. He spent much of his working life in Tennessee, especially at Kingsport, and later served in Huntsville, Alabama. Along the way he also worked as an editor and publisher, giving his ideas a wider audience.
Ross is most often noted today for his role in the slavery debates of the 1850s. His best-known book, Slavery Ordained of God (1857), argued for slavery on biblical grounds, making him a deeply controversial figure both in his own time and since. Records connected with the Papers of Abraham Lincoln likewise describe him as a clergyman, publisher, editor, and pro-slavery author.
He died in Huntsville, Alabama, on April 13, 1883. No clear portrait image that could be confidently verified from the sources reviewed was available, so no profile image is included here.