African-American preacher, philosopher, and orator John Jasper was born on July 4, 1812, in Fluvanna County, Virginia, the youngest of 24 children. He became a Christian on July 4, 1839, in Capital Square of Richmond, Virginia. He was baptized in 1849 and on the same day he preached a funeral that brought him immediate fame. He taught himself to read and write, and although he delivered his sermons in the dialect of the southern slave, more educated ministers said that Jasper's vivid and dramatic sermons transcended "mere grammar."One of the great slave preachers, Jasper became a noted funeral preacher long before the Civil War. Noted for his fervid zeal, gifted imagery, and colorful oratory, Jasper was much in demand as a speaker, preaching in many parts of Virginia and adjoining states. During his August vacation, he conducted famous all-day camp meetings in the country. Sunday after Sunday he could be seen leading his flock to be baptized in the James River. He was known to have baptized as many as 300 people in four hours. He reached the height of his aspiration in 1867 when he organized the Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church. He gained national distinction in 1878 when he first preached his famed "De Sun Do Move" sermon, which he later delivered by invitation more than 250 times—once before the entire Virginia General Assembly. This sermon was his effort to prove through biblical references that the sun revolves around the earth.
Thousands of people of all races flocked to Sixth Mount Zion Church to hear John Jasper preach. He is considered the last of the old-styled antebellum preachers who possessed great public speaking skills. A leader in the community and the city of Richmond, Jasper has been the subject of many books and related articles describing the Black religious experience. One book in particular has received wide acclaim. John Jasper died in 1901.