Title: Slave missions and the Black church in the antebellum South
First published: 1998
Description: Slave Missions and the Black Church in the Antebellum South examines the fascinating but perplexing interactions between white missionaries and slaves in the 1840s and 1850s, and the ways in which blacks used the missions to nurture the formation of the organized black church.

Janet Cornelius uses church records and slave narratives and autobiographies to show that black religious leaders - slave and free - took advantage of opportunities offered by missions to create a small break in the oppression of slavery: to conduct their own meetings, become literate, and build the black community. Slave missions also provided whites with a rationale for training and supporting black leaders and protecting black congregations, particularly in the visible city churches.
Subjects: History, Slaves, Slavery and the church, Religion, Religious life, Church history, Afro-Americans, African American churches, Afro-American churches, African Americans, Noirs américains, Vie religieuse, Aspect religieux, Geschichte 1800-1900, Sklaverei, Églises noires américaines, Esclavage, Slavernij, Esclaves, Kirche, Zending, Negers, Südstaaten, Christianisme, Enslaved persons, united states, Missions, united states, African americans, religion, African americans, southern states, Southern states, church history, Southern states, history
Places: Southern States
Time periods: 19th century, 1775-1865