Today a new Baptist congregation is founded in the South. Unlike most in the immediate post-war years of the South, it is a white congregation. At the First Baptist Church, then located on the northeast corner of Second Street and Adams Street in Memphis, Tennessee, the Central Baptist Church is established. It is composed of…
Today the Fourth Baptist Church, an African American congregation, is established in Richmond, Virginia. It is one of hundreds of black Baptist churches formed in the immediate post-war months as freedmen depart white churches, and white supervision, to form their own autonomous congregations. A historical marker tells the church’s story: “Fourth Baptist Church is the…
Today the first Convention of Colored Citizens of the State of Arkansas is gathered in Little Rock. Many Baptists are among those present. The purpose of the convention is to exert the rights of freedmen and ensure that white Southerners respect their freedom. The road thus far has been brutal, and a future of true…