Life of Rev. A. Crooks

Reverend Adam Crooks was an activist and minister whose tireless campaigns against slavery in the 19th century led to his being one of Methodist church’s most famous abolitionists.

Born at a time when slavery in America was scarcely questioned by the religious establishment, Reverend Crooks’ felt a personal revulsion toward enslavement, and especially its continuation by individuals purporting to be true Christians. Despite the dangers of preaching the abolitionist cause in the southern states where slavery was legal, he did so tirelessly and for many years – encouraging congregations and other Christian ministers to join his cause. After facing off against trumped up charges in court, Rev. Crooks’ devotion to abolitionism became famous.

Living to see the harrowing destruction of the U.S. Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation which followed, Adam Crooks diverted his spirit to a new cause: that of temperance. Until his death in 1874, Crooks was one of the fiercest proponents against alcohol, decrying what he viewed as its destructive and socially undermining attributes. His efforts, strident as they were, would encourage the growing influence of the temperance movement through the late 19th and early 20th centuries.