Richard Allen (bishop)

Richard Allen (February 14, 1760  March 26, 1831) was a minister, educator, writer, and one of the United States' most active and influential black leaders. In 1794, he founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the first independent Black denomination in the United States. He opened his first AME church in 1794 in Philadelphia.


Richard Allen
ChurchAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church
InstalledApril 10, 1816
Term endedMarch 26, 1831
PredecessorFormed denomination
SuccessorMorris Brown
Orders
Ordination1799
by Francis Asbury
Personal details
Born(1760-02-14)February 14, 1760
DiedMarch 26, 1831(1831-03-26) (aged 71)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
BuriedMother Bethel AME Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
DenominationAfrican Methodist Episcopal Church
SpouseFlora, Sarah Bass
ChildrenRichard Jr., James, John, Peter, Sara, and Ann
OccupationFounder of the African Methodist Episcopal church, minister, abolitionist, educator, writer, and one of America's most active and influential black leaders

Elected the first bishop of the AME Church in 1816, Allen focused on organizing a denomination in which free black people could worship without racial oppression and enslaved people could find a measure of dignity. He worked to upgrade the social status of the black community, organizing Sabbath schools to teach literacy and promoting national organizations to develop political strategies. Allen said, "We will never separate ourselves voluntarily from the slave population in this country; they are our brethren, and we feel there is more virtue in suffering privations with them than a fancied advantage for a season." The AME Church proliferated among the freed blacks in the Southern United States.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.