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# The 150+ Years Of History Behind Pres. Obama's Amazing Grace

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Q3bYCdIf.m3u8" -->
## Video: The 150+ Years Of History Behind Pres. Obama's Amazing Grace

[Watch (HLS stream): The 150+ Years Of History Behind Pres. Obama's Amazing Grace](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Q3bYCdIf.m3u8) (1:32)

![The 150+ Years Of History Behind Pres. Obama's Amazing Grace](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Q3bYCdIf/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2015-06-28. President Obama's rendition of "Amazing Grace" carried with it two centuries of history, when it was written by a slaver-turned abolitionist._


---

Jul 27, 2023 6:29 PM UTC

---

## More From This Series

[All Videos](https://time.com/video/)

[Charleston Coverage: President Obama Sings 'Amazing Grace'](/video/mjpWpXp8/)

### Charleston Coverage: President Obama Sings 'Amazing Grace'

[Watch President Obama Sing ‘Amazing Grace’ at Slain Pastor’s Funeral](/video/iyU9zc83/)

### Watch President Obama Sing ‘Amazing Grace’ at Slain Pastor’s Funeral

[Obama's War](/video/0eLcnjFZ/)

### Obama's War

---


## Transcript

Amazing Grace, how sweet [ APPLAUSE ] President Obama ended his eulogy for the Reverend Clementa Pinckney with a rendition of Amazing Grace many described as moving. In doing so he was drawing upon a storied song that has its own ties to Charleston South Carolina where Pinckney and eight others died less than two weeks ago. Amazing Grace was penned by English abolitionist minister John Newton, who spent much of his life sailing to Charleston as captain of a slave ship. Before ultimately campaigning against the trade. Newton's story and his influence on abolitionist campaigner William Wilberforce was depicted in the 2006 film Amazing Grace.

It tells the story of Wilberforce's campaign to get the international slave trade abolished, which happened in 1807. The melody we associate with Newton's Hymn came to prominence in the 1830s, when it was disseminated through the American South as part of the Second Great Awakening, which also involved converting slaves. By the mid 1800s, it was associated enough with slaves that Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti- slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, features a scene, where the titular character sings the hymn. The song was also popularly used by civil rights campaigners during the 1960's and was even quoted in speeches by Martin Luther King, Jr.

So, the presidents use of the hymn last week wasn't only presidented, it was following a tradition of the song being sung by the country Black community for more than 150 years. But now I see.

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