Black Baptists, like other black Americans, adore Abraham Lincoln. In the years following the president’s Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, Lincoln has repeatedly been heralded as the Moses of black Americans. By way of contrast, many white Baptists of the South, and other white Southerners, have long ridiculed Lincoln as the “black president” while…
The United States Christian Commission (USCC) supports Union soldiers by providing supplies, medical assistance (in collaboration with the U.S. Sanitary Commission) and religious literature to troops. The work of the USCC is carried out through Protestant chaplains and social workers, many of whom are Baptists. Today the USCC convenes for its annual meeting in Washington,…
Today U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is presented with a note proposing a meeting of “commissioners” from the North and South to explore possible paths to peace. This initiative results in behind-the-scenes diplomacy in the coming weeks. Also in Washington, D.C. this day, Kentucky Baptist and U.S. Congressman Green Clay Smith delivers a speech in favor…