The Importance of African American Religion

Religion played an important role in African American lives during and after slavery. During slavery, slaves turned to biblical narratives such as Exodus to reinterpret their own state of bondage. Reinterpretation of Exodus allowed slaves to view themselves as the chosen people of God. Exodus allowed slaves to develop a sense of community through common struggle as well. Some individuals used Exodus to condone violence against white slave masters, similar to the violence used against Pharaoh, which ultimately freed the enslaved Jews in Egypt. One of the most famous slave revolts was led by Nat Turner, whose divine visions and use of religion allowed his cause of self-emancipation to spread and induce national panic. If slaves were using religion to justify and kill whites in Virginia, then what was stopping them from doing the same thing in any other state? So, white policymakers reaffirmed their grasp over both enslaved and freed black populations ability to privately celebrate religion and congregate.

After emancipation, African Americans turned to the church as a cultural, social, political and economic center for their communities. Churches were one of the only places in which African Americans had a private place for community building. As a result, they served a wide variety of uses, becoming schools, mutual aid societies, athletic clubs, libraries, insurance companies, political centers and of course, religious areas. Black churches allowed blacks a voice and power. Glaude remarked that black churches acted “like a nation within a nation,” meaning that these churches created a sense of community for African Americans that they were not given within the wider aspect of American life. Political discussions began to arise within churches, as African Americans turned to the clergy as political leaders and social navigators in a society that was openly oppressing them. Disagreements began to arise within the church as to how to deal with issues of segregation and racism. Some blacks disliked what they believed was a useless subservience in the face of oppression that some black religious leaders were teaching. Blacks had been subservient under the institution of slavery, and were still being subservient under the institution of segregation.

Many ethnic and racial conflicts arose in 19^th century America, and religion served to alleviate some tension and provide for some cohesion. Christianity has played a role in African American lives since the first slave ship was blessed by Portuguese priests off the coast of Africa into the modern day.