Richard Allen (reverend)

Richard Allen (February 14 1760 - March 26 1831) was an African American pastor and the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Born as a slave of Quaker lawyer, the honorable Benjamin Chew at Germantown, Pennsylvania (now a part of Philadelphia) in 1760, his family, his parents and 3 other children, were soon sold to a Stokley Sturgis, whose plantation was near Dover, Delaware. Allen recorded that Stokely was a very tender and humane man who was more like a father to his slaves than a master.

As Richard and his brother grew older, they were permitted to attend meetings of the Methodist Society. Richard had taught himself to read and write. Converted early, he joined the Methodist Society at an early age, 17, and began evangelizing and attending services so regularly that he attracted criticism from local slave owners. In response to this opposition Richard and his brothers redoubled their efforts for Stokely. This hard and pious work led Stokley to encourage preaching amongst his slaves, and soon he was convinced that slavery was wrong, and therefore offered his slaves an opportunity to buy their freedom. Richard Allen later, in August 1783, bought his and his brother's freedom for two thousand dollars each. The money took Allen five years to save and was largely earned by his support for the American Revolution.

Ministry

He was ordained as a minister at the 1st conference of the Methodist church in North America, in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1784. He was allowed to hold services at 5 a.m. in the morning. In 1786, he was a preacher at St. George's United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1799, he was the first colored minister ordained by Francis Asbury, and made an elder of the church in 1816.

Long having preached amongst his neighbors, Richard began preaching at St. George's Methodist Church, although this was only allowed in the early mornings, and within a segregated section built for their purpose. He also regularly preached on the commons, gaining a congregation of nearly 50, supporting himself with a variety of odd jobs.

Allen's desire to build a place of worship for African Americans brought only scorn from his white church and the established African Americans of his community. Rev. Absalom Jones, along with few others however supported the move. In 1787 they formed the "Free African Society" and left St. George's Methodist Church. Allen along with Absalom Jones, William Gray and William Wilcher discovered a lot on Sixth Street near Lombard, in Philadelphia. Allen negotiated a price and purchased this lot where they could build a church. This lot, purchased in 1787, is the oldest parcel of real estate owned continuously by black people in the United States. In 1816 Richard united the African American congregations of the Methodist Church in Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, founding the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. He was elected its first bishop on April 10, 1816. The African Methodist Episcopal Church, which he founded, is today the oldest and largest formal institution in Black America.

Allen at first supported the "back to Africa" movement,Fact|date=February 2007 and even a scheme for emigration to Haiti, but later was convinced by the overwhelming opposition of Philadelphia’s black community Fact|date=February 2007 to oppose the white led American Colonization Society which organized it. Fact|date=February 2007 Allen, Jones, and James Forten were the acknowledged leaders of the free black American community of that day. Fact|date=February 2007

From 1797 to his death on March 26, 1831, Allen operated a station on the Underground Railway for escaping slaves. This work was continued by Bethel Church until the Emancipation.

Bishop Richard Allen was married to Sarah Bass Allen. He was the father of six children- Richard Jr., James, John, Peter, Sarah, and Ann.

ee also

*Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church

External links

* [http://earlyamerica.com/review/spring97/allen.html Richard Allen & African-American Identity]
* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/3p97.html from PBS.org]
* [http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/ame.html about the AMEs]
* [http://www.ame-church.org/rallen.html The Life of Richard Allen]
* [http://www.unionbethelamec.org/BAllen.htm Bishop Richard Allen]
* [http://claver.gprep.org/fac/sjochs/allen.htm Rev. Richard Allen]

References

* New International Encyclopedia
* "Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607-1896." Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1967.