Project Overview
The focal point for my Project is the African Methodist Episcopal church. The origin of
the AME church as well as the impact it has on the African American collective. Speaking to the
origin and resiliency of the AME will highlight its importance within the African American
community and the Christian denominations. The project will begin with an overview of the
origin of the AME church as well as its founder Richard Allen. This will lead to a discussion that
speaks to the atmosphere of the African American collective that birthed the need for the AME
church.
Anticipated Thesis Statement
Bibliography
Dickerson, Dennis C.!The African Methodist episcopal church: A history. Cambridge
University Press, 2020.
The African Methodist Episcopal Church A History is a book by Dennis C. Dickerson from
Vanderbilt University. This book explores the AMEC and the connection between Methodism
and the transatlantic/transnational religious movement. The source explores how slavery affected
Methodism and the way in which the AMEC was accepted within the denomination. Historian
Jane G. Landers evaluates black Methodists in 1820 and writes “In 1820 there were 25,500 black
Methodists in the Caribbean, nearly all of whom were black, these black Methodists comprised a
subset of a larger population of Atlantic Creoles.” Landers described them as “a diverse group
born in the West Indies”. I plan to use this source to show that black Methodists were formed and
exist outside of the United States, and we acknowledge by the American Methodist.
“Laborers in the Vineyard of the Lord: The Beginnings of the AME Church ...” Accessed
March 22, 2023. https://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/2645/1/38..pdf.pdf.
Laborers In The Vineyard Of The Lord is a book written by Larry Eugene Rivers and
Canter Brown Jr. The source speaks to the AME church in Florida in 1865-1895 and how it
made its way in Florida. The source speaks to how the AME church began in Florida as well as
what it took to establish the AMEC in the state capitol. “When the African Methodist Episcopal
Church commenced its mission to Florida in 1865, black Methodists already had worshipped in
the state for almost a half-century. During that time Methodism had reached out first to slaves
and free blacks. Then its policies and the actions of many of its ministers turned the church in a
far different direction. Desire began to grow in the hearts and minds of black Methodists for
racially separate forums for worship and fellowship. As this process evolved, African Americans
stamped Methodism in the South and in Florida with their special influences and traditions, some
of which derived directly from African roots .” The AMEC in Florida is engulfed in African
roots and tradition. This source speaks to those elements and provides insight into how these
African traditions made the AMEC a powerful source in the Black community. It is important to
distinguish and recognize that the AMEC is a church heavy in African tradition, unlike the actual
Methodist church. The AMEC is African based in name but it is also very important that it is
known that it is actually based on African tradition as well.
Hall, Robert L. “Tallahassee’s Black Churches, 1865-1885.”!The Florida Historical
Quarterly!58, no. 2 (1979): 185–96. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30149359.
Tallahassee Black Churches is a journal by Robert Hall. The Journal speaks to Black
churches in the Capitol of Florida. The source speaks to the politics behind black churches in
Florida and how the AMEC fits into that. “The development of the religious freedom and the
establishment of independent churches by blacks, following the civil war, was a momentous
change in black and white social relations. Although the black churches of various
denominations shared a general feeling of assertiveness and independence, the individual
churches in Tallahassee, representing distinctive denominations, were not uniform in their
historical origin’s political orientations or leadership styles.” I plan on using this source to
emphasize the importance of the AMEC and representing independence within the churches in
Florida and it’s a connection to civil rights issues. The AMEC became a political pillar when
dealing with social issues specific to race relations.
Walker, Clarence E. “The A.M.E. Church and Reconstruction.”!Negro History Bulletin!48,
no. 1 (1985): 10–12. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44176613.
The AME church and reconstruction is a journal by Clarence E Walker. The journal
speaks to the history of the AME church throughout the civil war and the Reconstruction era.
The AMEC played a huge role in the freedom of slaves as well as the civil rights movement.
“Before the Civil War, the A.M.E. Church took a vanguard position on issues affecting free
Negroes and slaves; the church opposed the efforts of the African Colonization Society to
repatriate free blacks to Africa. Colonization, the A.M.E. hierarchy thought, was a slaveholder's
plot designed to remove free negros from America because their presence in American society
contributed to slave unrest and undercut the idea that black people could only be “hewers of
wood and drawers of water.” I plan to use this source to speak to my narrative of the importance
of the AMEC for the Black collective, not just the religious domination.
Bradley Sr, David Henry.!A History of the AME Zion Church, Part 2: 1872-1968.
Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2020.
This source is part II of a journal written by David Henry Bradley. The journal speaks to
the A.M.E.Zion church which is an extension of the AMEC umbrella. The sources dates back as
far as Reconstruction. The sources give specific details about its roots in Florida and key players
in the development of the church. I will use this source as another source that speaks to the
AMEC umbrella and its history in Florida.
Newman, Richard S..!Freedom’s Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church,
and the Black Founding Fathers. New York, USA: New York University Press,
2008.!https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814759011.001.0001
This source is a book by Richard S.Newman and speaks about the founding fathers of
the AMEC. The source speaks about the vision of the church as well the work of the founders as
activists. “Among his many achievements, Allen helped form the African Methodist Episcopal
(AME) Church, co-authored the first copyrighted pamphlet by an African American writer,
published the first African American eulogy of George Washington, and convened the first
national convention of black reformers.” This source speaks to the integrity of the founders as
well as their contribution to other aspects of historical relevance.
Commodore, Felecia. "The tie that binds: Trusteeship, values, and the decision-
making process at AME-affiliated HBCUs."!The Journal of Higher Education!89, no. 4
(2018): 397-421.
This source is a journal, and it speaks about the alignment of the AME church and
HBCU’S. The source speaks to the fact that historically there are at least 3 board members of
HBCU’S that are AMEC affiliates. This source is important because the HBCU is very important
in the black community and this source shows its relationship with the AMEC.
Angell, Stephen W., Stephen Ward Angell, and Anthony B. Pinn, eds.!Social Protest
Thought in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1862-1939. Univ. of Tennessee Press,
2000.
This source is a journal that speaks to the publications that the AMEC has produced that
were influential to the black community.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
