Preceding any War Essay

As the antebellum period began, America was approaching its well-fixed anniversary as an separate political state, but it was not in time a nation. There was considerable disagreement among the residents of its more geographical sections concerning the accept limits of the relationship between the Federal government, the gray-headeder states, and the individual citizen. In this regard, many factions invoked concepts of state sovereignty, centralized banking, nullification, popular sovereignty, secession, all-Americanism, or manifest destiny.However, the majority deemed republicanism, fond pluralism, and constitutionalism the primary characteristics of antebellum America. Slavery, abolition, and the possibility of future disunion were considered secondary issues. The history and sociopolitical make up ones mind of the Afro-American church documents an interminable struggle for liberation against the exploitative forces of European domination. Although Black religion is predo minantly Judeo-Christian, its essence is not simply whiteness religion with a cosmetic face lift.Rather the quintessence of African-American spiritual mindedness is grounded in the social and political experience of Black people, and, although just about over the years have acquiesced to the dominant order, many have indulgent a passionate demand for freedom now. The history of the African-American church demonstrates that the institution has contributed four indispensable elements to the Black struggle for ideological emancipation, which embarrass a self-sustaining culture, a structured community, a prophetic tradition, and a persuasive leadership.The church of slavery, which began in the mid-eighteenth century, started as an underground organization and essential to become a pulpit for radicals bid Richard Allen, (discussed in detail) and the platform for revolutionaries like David Walker. For over one hundred ears, African slaves created their own unique and bona fide re ligious culture that was parallel to, but not reflective of the slave-owners Christianity from which they borrowed. Meeting on the quiet as the invisible church, they created a self-preserving stamp system by Africanizing European religion.Commenting on this experience, Alice Sewell, a former slave of Montgomery, Alabama, states, We used to slip off in de woods in de old slave days on Sunday evening way stack in de swamps to sing and pray to our own liking (Simms, 1970, p. 263). During the late 1700s, when slavery was being dismantled in the North, free Black Methodists courageously dislocated from the patronizing control of the white denomination and established their own independent assemblies. This marked the genesis of African-American resistance as a across the nation structured, mass-based movement.In 1787, Richard Allen, after suffering racist humiliation at Philadelphias St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, separated from the white congregation and led otherwise Black s, who had been similarly disgraced, to form the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A. M. E. ) in 1816. The new group flowered. By 1820 it numbered 4,000 in Philadelphia alone, while another 2,000 claimed social station in Baltimore. The church immediately spread as far atomic number 74 as Pittsburgh and as far south as Charleston as African-Americans organized to resist domination.Through community groups, they contributed political consciousness, economic direction, and example discipline to the struggle for freedom in their local districts. Moreover, Black Methodists sponsored help oneself societies that provided loans, business advice, insurance, and a host of social services to their fellow-believers and the community at large. In sum the A. M. E. Churches functioned in concert to organize African-Americans throughout the hoidenish to protect them selves from exploitation and to ready them for political emancipation.