The role of religion in the southern slaveholding culture is truly ironic. In the 1860s and 1870s Christianity was widely popular in the northern and southern states. Almost everyone attended weekly church services, those who didn’t were seen as outcasts and sinful people. Even today Christianity is very popular in the United States. It is widely known in the United States, that the South has a much higher population of Christians than the North and it is still true to this day. It is truly ironic that an area containing the highest population of Christians would participate in something as barbaric as slavery. Does the Bible not say that we are all one in Christ Jesus(Galatians 3:28. The Bible)? Does the Bible not say that we are all created in Christ’s image (Genesis 1:27. The Bible)? Does the Bible not say that God made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all faces of the earth (Acts 17:26. The Bible)? …show more content…
The Declaration of Independence. 4 July 1776). Even the words that our country was founded upon reprimand slavery. The document that declared our independence disputes the argument that African Americans were lesser than White people. Almost every person in America knows this phrase, this “immortal declaration”. If only the people of the past had taken the time to read what was entailed in the “American dream” that they fought so hard to achieve, maybe things would have been
The southern revivals settled the arrangements of authority some of them declared interest of some evangelicals to race and the bitterness of the slavery.During the 1830, the s...
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the majority of slave brought to the new world were young men who were mostly not especially religious. Very few Africans had previously obtained Christian beliefs prior to being shipped from Africa to the New World. The majority of slaves were, in fact, followers of...
Slavery is an economic, legal system where humans are sold and treated as property. The history of slavery spans nearly almost from every culture, religion and nationality from ancient to present days. Slavery in the United States is identified as one of the darkest periods of the human kind where people from the African continent were sold to the white settlers in the United States. Based on research it was evident that the white Christianity supported the establishment and the continuation of slavery in America. This paper is a study of the history on how white Christianity helped and also offered support to American slavery. The paper will discuss how the black community was oppressed and the tools used to support the establishment and continuation of slavery. The research will adopt the use of the book titled “the cross and the lynching tree” written by James Cone.
This paper elaborates on the diverse contributions peoples of African descent have made to the pluralistic religious landscape of America and replicates various passages from our textbook. It focuses on the personal narratives of non-religious to religious leaders—exemplifying their influence on the African American religious movement during slavery and the reconstruction of America. Each section represents different historical periods, regional variations, and non-Christian expressions of African-American religion.
Many Americans’ eyes were opened in 1776, when members of the Continental Congress drafted, signed, and published the famous document “The Declaration of Independence” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By declaring their independence, many of the colonists believed that slaves should have the same rights as the whites had. Abolition groups were formed, and the fight to end slavery begins.
After the slave trades had ended in the United States the numbers of slaves continue to grow. The slaves where reproducing and birthing new slaves that happen to be Americans. According to a Maffly-Kipp (2001) because the number of slaves from Africa had decrease it gave room for a transformation of their culture styles and roots to blend with their religious practices such as enthusiastic singing, clapping, dancing, and being possessed with the holy spirit. Many white members of society felt threaten by the existence of black religious groups African Americans built a strong faith in God and found safety in their places of worship. Society was not always willing to accept the idea of Christian slaves. As one slave recounted "the white folks would come in when the colored people would have prayer meeting, and whip every one of them. Most of them thought that when colored people were praying it was against them” (McMickle 2002). Despite of that many African Americans organized their own invisible institution in the slave quarters. They used signals, songs, and messages not discernible to whites. These organizations where called hush harbors. Many b...
Of all the areas with which the southerners contended, the socio-political arena was probably their strongest. It is in this area that they had history and law to support their assertions. With the recent exception of the British, the slave trade had been an integral part of the economies of many nations and the slaves were the labor by which many nations and empires attained greatness. Souther...
Religion of the protestant church was an important factor in the pre-war timeline culture. The Second great awakening, which occurred in the 19th century, greatly impacted American society. This new point of view in terms and matters of faith led northerners to cherish the theory of Christian perfection, a theory that in fact was applied to society in an attempt to eliminate social imperfection. On the other hand, southerners reacted by cherishing a faith of personal piety, which focused mainly on a reading of the Bible; however, it expressed very little concern in addressing society’s problems.1
Moreover, many owners later came to feel that Christianity may actually have encouraged rebellion (all those stories of Moses and the Israelites in Egypt, after all, talked about the liberation of the slaves), and so they began to discourage Christian missionaries from preaching to the slaves. African Americans have taken their own spiritual, religious journey. God was looked upon as a source of peace and encouragement. The community of enslave Africans were able to use religion and spirituality as a way of overcoming the mental anguish of slavery on a daily basis. To a slave, religion was the most important aspect of their life. Nothing could come between their relationship with god. It was their rock, the only reason why they could wake up in the morning, the only way that they endured this most turbulent time in our history.
In their quarters, slaves expressed themselves with some what more freedom from white slave owners. Religion provided a feel of similar freedom and also gave slaves mental support. By attending church, slaves created a Christianity that emphasized salvation for every race, including slaves.
The Declaration of Independence was brought forth in a unanimous act to Declare the thirteen United States of America to become Independent. This was taken place on July 4, 1776 by the Second Continental Congress for the citizens of the United States. It was then published on January 18, 1777. At this time in history, the values, attitudes, and beliefs held within the country are introduced to us the same as our present day because we as a country still base our freedom and ways of life through political terms within the Declaration of Independence. This quote simply portrays how the people at this time felt and today what we follow, “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.
...ti-slavery propaganda to inspire and founded the American Anti-Slavery Society. Their argument against slavery was that Christianity promoted morality and goodwill to others and therefor God could not support such an institution. “Slaveholding is a heinous crime in the sight of God, and that the duty, safety and best interests of all concerned, require its immediate abandonment” (Tindall, Shi 544). In addition the North argued that the Constitution assured human rights and therefore the institution of slavery which treated people as property was a violation of the Constitution.
Throughout American history, Americans have had many issues, whether it had to do with gaining independence from Britain, or even claiming the rights for African Americans to have equality. With both of these issues came either a significant document by Thomas Jefferson, which is called the Declaration of Independence, or an effective speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, which is called I Have a Dream. Both of these event changers appealed to Americans in a way that had a huge impact on history. The Declaration of Independence gave Americans the freedom to do what they believe. The I Have a Dream speech envisions that later Africans Americans will have equal rights. Therefore, this important document and speech have many similarities and
The bible, also, condemns many aspects of our current day society and allows for slavery. Rather than taking the bible literally, one should consider the historical context and then adjust to today’s norms.
Slavery, the “Peculiar Institution” of the South, caused suffering among an innumerable number of human beings. Some people could argue that the life of a domestic animal would be better than being a slave; at least animals are incapable of feeling emotions. Suffering countless atrocities, including sexual assault, beatings, and murders, these slaves endured much more than we would think is humanly possible today. Yet, white southern “Christians” committed these atrocities, believing their behaviors were neither wrong nor immoral. Looking back at these atrocities, those who call themselves Christians are appalled. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself, Harriet A. Jacobs describes the hypocrisy of Southern, Christian slave owners in order to show that slavery and Christianity are not congruent.