1816–1861

Slavery, schisms in American churches, and the rise of Black churches

Quakers (1776) and Methodists (1784) initially condemned slaveholding. Over time, however, southern Methodists and Baptists softened their stance, and in the South slavery was declared divinely ordained.

The slavery question split the largest Protestant denominations. In 1844 the Methodists divided into northern and southern branches. In 1845 the Baptists formed the Southern Baptist Convention, and in 1861 southern Presbyterians separated. Only Catholics and Episcopalians avoided schism.

In parallel, the freedman Richard Allen founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1821 the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church arose in New York. Black churches became the central institution of Black society and later helped lay the groundwork for the civil rights movement.