The slave trader who penned Amazing Grace and fought to end the trade.

Music · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: John Newton was a brutal captain of slave ships who later became a prominent Anglican minister and abolitionist. His journey from a faithless seaman to a spiritual mentor for William Wilberforce is one of history's most striking transformations, forever immortalized in his famous hymn, Amazing Grace.

Born in London in 1725, John Newton lost his mother to tuberculosis at age seven and began sea voyages by age 11. His early life was marked by forced service in the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Harwich, followed by a career in the transatlantic slave trade. Newton initially viewed this trafficking of captive Africans as a respectable and easy way of life, eventually rising to the rank of master and captaining three separate slave voyages between 1750 and 1754.

A pivotal shift occurred on March 10, 1748, when Newton experienced a spiritual awakening while steering a near-foundering ship through a violent storm. Despite this conversion, he did not immediately abandon his profession, continuing to captain slave ships for several more years. It was only after poor health forced his retirement from the sea in 1754 that he fully transitioned into religious life, becoming an ordained Church of England clergyman in 1764 and serving as a curate in Olney, Buckinghamshire.

In his later years, Newton’s remorse over his past actions fueled his activism. He became a crucial mentor to William Wilberforce, encouraging him to pursue a political career to challenge the slave trade. In 1787, Newton helped found the Anti-Slavery Society and published Thoughts Upon the African Slave Trade, a graphic, repentant account of his experiences that was distributed to every member of Parliament. He continued to testify against the trade until his death in 1807, just nine months after the British Empire officially abolished it.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• How a profane slave trader’s spiritual autobiography became the world’s most famous folk hymn
• Before fighting the slave trade, Wilberforce was a gambling Cambridge socialite
• How a 200-year-old political struggle became a cinematic tribute to persistence
• The naval architect who built England's fleet also pioneered its role in human trafficking.
• How a self-taught scholar used ancient Greek to dismantle the legal foundations of slavery
• Spielberg's almost-constant composer also runs the Boston Pops
• How a Harvard-trained actor became a master of both stage and screen
• Johnnie Ray: The deaf, sobbing teen idol who paved the way for rock and roll.
• Lennon had 25 US number ones as performer or writer
• Johnny Cash sold ninety million records across every roots genre
• How a management consultant became the first African American man to achieve EGOT status
• Johnny Depp became an actor by accident while chasing a record deal

More in Musicians and composers · More in Music · Latest · A–Z · All topics