Richard Allen (1760-1831)

Richard Allen was a minister, educator, writer and one of the USAs most active and influential black leaders.

He was born into slavery on February 14th 1760 in Delaware. As a child he was sold to Stokley Sturgis. He began to attend the local Methodist Society which welcomed slaves and free blacks. He taught himself to read and write. He joined the Methodist at 17 and began evangelizing which attracted criticism from local slave owners. He and his brother worked hard for Sturgis so no one could say his slaves did not do well because of their religion.

The Revd. Freeborn Garrettson, who had freed his own slaves, came to preach in Delaware in 1775. Stugis became convinced slavery was wrong and gave his slaves the opportunity to buy their freedom. Richard did extra work and bought his freedom in 1780. He changed his name from ‘Negro Richard’ to’ Richard Allen’.

Richard qualified as a preacher in 1784 at the Christmas Conference -the founding of the Methodist Church in North America. He was one of two black attendees - neither were allowed to vote- but Richard lead the 5 a.m. services.

1786 Richard became a preacher at St. George’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia bur restricted to early morning services. He attracted more black members and was ordered to met them in a separate area for worship. He preached on the commons and had meeting of nearly 50 worshippers.

Richard and Absalom Jones resented the segregation so they left the church and formed the Free African Society (FAS) a non-denominational mutual aid society.
Richard. In 1787 they purchased a plot of land but it was years before they had a building- now the Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Richard wanted to continue in the Methodist practice. on 29th July 1794 the leaders opened the doors of Bethel AME Church. White ministers still had to administer communion. Richard was ordained the first black Methodist minister by Bishop Francis Asbury in 1799. By 1809 it had 457 members, by 1813 it had 1,272.

In 1816 Richard united 5 African-American congregations and founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). 10th April 1816 Richard was elected their first bishop.

September 1830 saw black representatives from 7 states convene in Philadelphia at the Bethel AME church for the first Negro Convention. Richard presided over the meeting. The 1830 meeting was the beginning of an organizational effort known as the Negro Convention Movement.

From 1787 until his death in 1831 Richard, and his second wife Sarah, operated a station on the Underground Railroad for fugitive slaves.

His preaching style was rarely expository or written down.

Richard died at home on 26th March 1831. He was buried in the church he founded.

In 2002 Molefi Kete Asante named Richard as one of the top 100 Greatest African-Americans.

The AME church today (2020) has 2.5 and 3 million members.

Sources used
Britannica Online Encyclopedia
New Georgia Encyclopedia
wikipedia