KING BECOMES A FATHER

In 1843, William and Mary had a son, Theophilus.  After the birth of Theophilus, William became more concerned about the society in which he would be raising his family. King was deeply religious and a man of strong convictions.

Having become a slave owner himself, King knew firsthand how difficult it was for a person to live by their moral convictions in the southern states.  No doubt King contemplated the scriptures and their intent, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

King studied slavery and made the following observations in his autobiography, along with a detailed synopsis of the southern laws.  He concluded that the affects of slavery bore as heavily on the whites as did on the blacks; whites became lazy and arrogant corrupted by absolute power, and blacks were kept as ignorant and helpless as possible.

"Their sin was the sin of Sodom, fullness of bread and plenty of idleness."

"Everyone acted like the children of Israel when they had no king to do that which was right in their own eyes."

The laws made it difficult to be moral, as Supreme Court ruled a slave was "chattel" with no rights that owners had to respect. "The planting slavery in the United States teaches a sad but instructive lesson, it shows the necessity of meeting an evil in the bud and not permit it to grow until it threatens both the life and the happiness of the nation."  Laws regarding freeing slaves varied by state, more can be learned about this at: Library of Congress.

King made many notes regarding the growth and history of slavery. Obviously, this was a situation that troubled him deeply and having become a "Master" weighed heavily on his conscience.

In 1843, although King was at the height of his professional teaching career with an annual salary of $1,500, King resigned his position at Mathews Academy, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"