Black Baptists have been well-established in Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia since the early nineteenth century. Their vibrant presence is testimony to the acceptance of blacks in Baptist churches, a preponderance of free blacks in the area, and three decades (the 1820s-1850s) as a disembarkation point for African American missionaries traveling to Liberia through the efforts…
First Baptist Ellettsville, Indiana was established in 1858 by 28 persons, men and women, who initially met in members’ homes to worship and pray. Within a few short years, the congregation constructed a simple meeting house, a frame building costing a mere $95. The price of the church building reveals the common folk nature of…
Today, the one-year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, is a joyous occasion among free blacks, many of whom have obtained freedom within the past year. The year since the signing of the proclamation has witnessed a revolution in race relations. Prior to the proclamation, many Northern whites were uncertain that freed blacks would prove worthy…