Richard Allen
By
John C Abercrombie
Richard Allen was born a slave. During his early life, his owner sold his mother and 3 of his siblings. The splitting of families was a common occurrence as there was a widely held belief among slave owners that people of African heritage did not feel emotions. That they did not feel pain. That they did not grieve. This belief allowed slave masters to treat slaves as property and not as humans.
Allen became a Methodist after hearing a White Methodist preacher preach against slavery. Allen’s owner, who had previously split Allen’s family when he had financial difficulties, by selling various members to other owners, also converted.
His owner, Stokely Sturgis, was so moved by the anti-slavery message that he allowed Richard to purchase his own freedom for the princely sum of $2,000.
Allen’s manumission document became the first such document to be held as a public file. Prior to obtaining his freedom, Richard was known as Negro Richard. After obtaining his freedom, he became known as Richard Allen.
Manumission – was the process of formally freeing slaves held by an owner. The process varied widely, depending on the location. In some places, papers were filed formally with the courts declaring a slave free. This process and the complexities will be discussed on this site in a separate discussion.
Richard Allen became a member of St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church. Blacks and Whites worshiped together, although there were many limitations placed on the Black worshippers, such as separate pews.
Because of the way Blacks were treated in the church, Allen and other Blacks left the church. They were required to sit in separate pews and one morning while they were praying and on their knees, they were asked to leave. When they asked if they could finish their prayers, they were forcibly thrown out.
Allen left that church with the intention of creating an independent Methodist Church. While Blacks were encouraged to become church members in the slave holding areas, there were many limitations placed on them. Some churches refused to baptize them because it would require members to recognize that Black people had souls and that was not consistent with the concept of slavery.
The cruel and often inhumane treatment given to slaves required them to be considered as less than human, more like property.
To alleviate the fear that religion would lower profitability to the owner, Richard redoubled his efforts on behalf of his owner in any work that he performed. This would keep to a minimum any comments that slaves did not do well (generate profit for the owner) because of religion.
Richard taught himself to read and write. When he began to evangelize, he attracted criticism from local slave owners. Slave owners were always fearful of a learned slave and feared that they would become organized and rebel against a system that only saw them as property to generate wealth and not as humans.
Even in Black churches, in the era of slavery, there had to be a White person present in the pulpit when services were held. Many of these concepts seem strange to us today, but the entire slave owner mentality had to accept these beliefs to justify slavery and the treatment of the people held in slavery.
In 1794, Allen and several other Black Methodists founded Bethel Church and met in an old blacksmith’s shop. Because this church was the source of so many other churches it is affectionally known in the Black Church community as “Mother Bethel”.
Mother Bethel was also important in the freedom of many slaves as it became a stop on the Underground Railroad. The underground railroad was a clandestine network of stops and people who helped slaves escape the inhuman treatment that affected their every movement and action every day of their lives. It also helped them obtain FREEDOM!
In 1799, Allen was ordained in the Methodist Episcopal Church, becoming the First African American to do so. In 1816, he founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church and became its first bishop. This was the first national Black Church in America.
Allen’s focus was on organizing a denomination where Blacks could worship without racial oppression and find a measure of dignity in their lives.
Allen worked tirelessly to upgrade the social status of the Black community and organized Sabbath schools to teach literacy and promote organizations to develop political strategies to improve the lives of the people.
Richard Allen – was born into slavery.
Allen worked, earned, and saved enough money until he could buy his freedom. Please note that most slaves were not afforded the opportunity to earn money, let alone save money and therefore were locked into slavery forever.
He formed the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first independent Black denomination because of the treatment of Blacks in the St. George Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, PA.
That this is a true and factual story of the way Blacks were treated by the church, it also tells a great deal about the way Africans were treated throughout this country.
Even with the abhorrent way Blacks were treated by the church, Allen held no bitterness for the White Race.
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Below the books and value offers are some very interesting videos on Richard Allen
Below you will find additional information on Rev. Richard Allen. There are several books, however, books are developed in different media. Books may in the recognized form, or they may be electronic. Electronic means they are read on a device, such as a computer, phone, tablet, or Kindle type device.
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The Life, Experience, and Gospel Labours of the Rt. Rev. Richard Allen.: To Which is Annexed the Rise and Progress of the African Methodist Episcopal … to the People of Colour in the United States
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This book is written for kids.
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https://www.biography.com/people/richard-allen-21056735
Video of Richard Allen, click below
An interesting look at the life and works of Richard Allen
Richard Allen – Apostle of Freedom
Absalom Jones and Richard Allen
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