Jonathan Myrick Daniels
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Myrick Daniels (March 20, 1939 – August 20, 1965) was an Episcopal seminarian, killed for his work in the American civil rights movement. His death helped galvanize support for the civil rights movement within the Episcopal church. He is regarded as a martyr
in the Episcopal church. One of the five elementary schools in his hometown of Keene, New Hampshire
is named in memory of him.
, Jonathan Myrick Daniels was the child of Phillip Brock Daniels (14 July 1904 - December 1959), a Congregationalist
physician
, and Constance Weaver (20 August 1905 - 9 January 1984). Daniels joined the Episcopal Church as a young man and considered a career in the ministry as early as high school. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute
after graduating from Keene High School
, where he began to question his religious faith during his sophomore year, possibly because his father died and his sister Emily suffered an extended illness at the same time. He graduated as valedictorian
of his class and, in the fall of 1961, entered Harvard University
to study English Literature. In the spring of 1962, Daniels was attending an Easter
service at the Church of the Advent in Boston
, and felt his doubt disappear, to be replaced with a renewed conviction that he was being called to serve God
. Soon after, he decided to pursue ordination
, and after a period of working out family financial problems, he applied and was accepted to Episcopal Theological School
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, starting his studies in 1963 and expecting to graduate in 1966.
, to take part in a march to the state capital in Montgomery
. Daniels and several other seminary students left for Alabama on Thursday, and had intended to only stay the weekend, but Daniels and friend Judith Upham missed the bus home. Forced to stay a little longer, Daniels and Upham realized how badly it must appear to the native civil rights workers that they were only willing to stay a few days. Convinced they should stay longer, the two went back to school just long enough to request permission to spend the rest of the semester in Selma, studying on their own and returning at the end of the term to take exams. Daniels stayed with a local African-American family, the West family. During the next months, Daniels devoted himself to integrating the local Episcopal church, taking groups of young African-Americans to the church, where they were usually scowled at or ignored. In May, Daniels traveled back to school to take his semester exams, and having passed, he came back to Alabama in July to continue his work. Among his other work, Daniels helped assemble a list of federal, state, and local agencies that could provide assistance to those in need. He also tutored children, helped poor locals apply for aid, and worked to register voters.
. All of the protesters were arrested and taken to jail in the nearby town of Hayneville
. Five juvenile protesters were released the next day. The rest of the group was held for six days; they refused to accept bail unless everyone was bailed. Finally, on August 20, the prisoners were released without transport back to Fort Deposit. After release, the group waited by a road near the jail. Daniels with three others—a white Catholic priest and two black protesters—went down the street to get a cold soft drink at Varner's Grocery Store, one of the few local stores that would serve nonwhites. They were met at the front by Tom L. Coleman, an engineer for the state highway department and unpaid special deputy, who wielded a shotgun. The man threatened the group, and finally leveled his gun at sixteen-year-old Ruby Sales
. Daniels pushed Sales down to the ground and caught the full blast of the gun. He was killed instantly. The priest, Richard F. Morrisroe, grabbed the other protester and ran. Coleman shot Morrisroe, wounding him in the lower back. Coleman was subsequently acquitted of manslaughter charges by an all-white jury. Richmond Flowers, Sr., the then Attorney General of Alabama, described the verdict as representing the "democratic process going down the drain of irrationality, bigotry and improper law enforcement."
Coleman died at age 86 on June 13, 1997 without having faced any further prosecution.
, is named after him. He is also one of forty martyrs memorialized at Southern Poverty Law Center's Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. In 2010, a commemorative pilgrimage in Hayneville included Ruby Sales and Bishop Todd Ousley of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan
.
Jonathan Myrick Daniels was listed as a martyr by the Episcopal Church in 1991, his name added to the official church calendar of "Lesser Feasts and Fasts" for the date August 14.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
in the Episcopal church. One of the five elementary schools in his hometown of Keene, New Hampshire
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
is named in memory of him.
Biography
Born in Keene, New HampshireKeene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
, Jonathan Myrick Daniels was the child of Phillip Brock Daniels (14 July 1904 - December 1959), a Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, and Constance Weaver (20 August 1905 - 9 January 1984). Daniels joined the Episcopal Church as a young man and considered a career in the ministry as early as high school. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
after graduating from Keene High School
Keene High School
Keene High School is a public high school located in Keene, New Hampshire. It serves the city of Keene and the surrounding towns of Chesterfield, Harrisville, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Westmoreland and Winchester....
, where he began to question his religious faith during his sophomore year, possibly because his father died and his sister Emily suffered an extended illness at the same time. He graduated as valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his class and, in the fall of 1961, entered Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
to study English Literature. In the spring of 1962, Daniels was attending an Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
service at the Church of the Advent in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and felt his doubt disappear, to be replaced with a renewed conviction that he was being called to serve God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. Soon after, he decided to pursue ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
, and after a period of working out family financial problems, he applied and was accepted to Episcopal Theological School
Episcopal Divinity School
The Episcopal Divinity School is a seminary of the Episcopal Church based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Known throughout the Anglican Communion for prophetic teaching and action on issues of civil rights and social justice, its faculty and students have been directly involved in many of the social...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, starting his studies in 1963 and expecting to graduate in 1966.
Civil Rights work
In March 1965, Daniels answered the call of Dr. Martin Luther King, who asked that students and clergy come to Selma, AlabamaSelma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
, to take part in a march to the state capital in Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. Daniels and several other seminary students left for Alabama on Thursday, and had intended to only stay the weekend, but Daniels and friend Judith Upham missed the bus home. Forced to stay a little longer, Daniels and Upham realized how badly it must appear to the native civil rights workers that they were only willing to stay a few days. Convinced they should stay longer, the two went back to school just long enough to request permission to spend the rest of the semester in Selma, studying on their own and returning at the end of the term to take exams. Daniels stayed with a local African-American family, the West family. During the next months, Daniels devoted himself to integrating the local Episcopal church, taking groups of young African-Americans to the church, where they were usually scowled at or ignored. In May, Daniels traveled back to school to take his semester exams, and having passed, he came back to Alabama in July to continue his work. Among his other work, Daniels helped assemble a list of federal, state, and local agencies that could provide assistance to those in need. He also tutored children, helped poor locals apply for aid, and worked to register voters.
Murder
On August 13, 1965, Daniels, in a group of 29 protesters, went to picket whites-only stores in the small town of Fort Deposit, AlabamaFort Deposit, Alabama
Fort Deposit is a town in Lowndes County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,270. It is part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. All of the protesters were arrested and taken to jail in the nearby town of Hayneville
Hayneville, Alabama
Hayneville is a town in Lowndes County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,177. The city is the county seat of Lowndes County. It is also part of the Montgomery Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. Five juvenile protesters were released the next day. The rest of the group was held for six days; they refused to accept bail unless everyone was bailed. Finally, on August 20, the prisoners were released without transport back to Fort Deposit. After release, the group waited by a road near the jail. Daniels with three others—a white Catholic priest and two black protesters—went down the street to get a cold soft drink at Varner's Grocery Store, one of the few local stores that would serve nonwhites. They were met at the front by Tom L. Coleman, an engineer for the state highway department and unpaid special deputy, who wielded a shotgun. The man threatened the group, and finally leveled his gun at sixteen-year-old Ruby Sales
Ruby Sales
Ruby Sales is an African-American social activist.Growing up in Alabama during the tumultuous days of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, Sales participated in the Selma to Montgomery marches of 1965. She was arrested for her actions, and released after six days...
. Daniels pushed Sales down to the ground and caught the full blast of the gun. He was killed instantly. The priest, Richard F. Morrisroe, grabbed the other protester and ran. Coleman shot Morrisroe, wounding him in the lower back. Coleman was subsequently acquitted of manslaughter charges by an all-white jury. Richmond Flowers, Sr., the then Attorney General of Alabama, described the verdict as representing the "democratic process going down the drain of irrationality, bigotry and improper law enforcement."
Coleman died at age 86 on June 13, 1997 without having faced any further prosecution.
Commemoration
One of the five elementary schools in his hometown of Keene, New HampshireKeene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
, is named after him. He is also one of forty martyrs memorialized at Southern Poverty Law Center's Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. In 2010, a commemorative pilgrimage in Hayneville included Ruby Sales and Bishop Todd Ousley of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan
Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan
The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan is the Episcopal diocese in the eastern half of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, not including the greater Detroit area, which is in the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan....
.
Jonathan Myrick Daniels was listed as a martyr by the Episcopal Church in 1991, his name added to the official church calendar of "Lesser Feasts and Fasts" for the date August 14.