Classified List ...

Classified List ...
Author: Princeton University. Library
Publisher:
Total Pages: 626
Release: 1920
Genre: Catalogs, Classified
ISBN:

Black Indians and Freedmen

Black Indians and Freedmen
Author: Christina Dickerson-Cousin
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2021-12-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0252053176

Often seen as ethnically monolithic, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in fact successfully pursued evangelism among diverse communities of indigenous peoples and Black Indians. Christina Dickerson-Cousin tells the little-known story of the AME Church’s work in Indian Territory, where African Methodists engaged with people from the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles) and Black Indians from various ethnic backgrounds. These converts proved receptive to the historically Black church due to its traditions of self-government and resistance to white hegemony, and its strong support of their interests. The ministers, guided by the vision of a racially and ethnically inclusive Methodist institution, believed their denomination the best option for the marginalized people. Dickerson-Cousin also argues that the religious opportunities opened up by the AME Church throughout the West provided another impetus for Black migration. Insightful and richly detailed, Black Indians and Freedmen illuminates how faith and empathy encouraged the unique interactions between two peoples.