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Black Evangelicals and the Gospel of Freedom, 1790-1890

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Black Evangelicals and the Gospel of Freedom, 1790-1890 University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2009 SPIRITED AWAY: BLACK EVANGELICALS AND THE GOSPEL OF FREEDOM, 1790-1890 Alicestyne Turley University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Turley, Alicestyne, "SPIRITED AWAY: BLACK EVANGELICALS AND THE GOSPEL OF FREEDOM, 1790-1890" (2009). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 79. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/79 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION Alicestyne Turley The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2009 SPIRITED AWAY: BLACK EVANGELICALS AND THE GOSPEL OF FREEDOM, 1790-1890 _______________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION _______________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Alicestyne Turley Lexington, Kentucky Co-Director: Dr. Ron Eller, Professor of History Co-Director, Dr. Joanne Pope Melish, Professor of History Lexington, Kentucky 2009 Copyright © Alicestyne Turley 2009 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION SPIRITED AWAY: BLACK EVANGELICALS AND THE GOSPEL OF FREEDOM, 1790-1890 The true nineteenth-century story of the Underground Railroad begins in the South and is spread North by free blacks, escaping southern slaves, and displaced, white, anti-slavery Protestant evangelicals. This study examines the role of free blacks, escaping slaves, and white Protestant evangelicals influenced by tenants of Kentucky’s Second Great Awakening who were inspired, directly or indirectly, to aid in African American community building. The impact of Kentucky’s Great Revival resulted in creation and expansion of systems of escape commonly referred to as the “Underground Railroad” which led to self- emancipation among enslaved African Americans, the establishment of free black settlements in the South, North, within Kentucky borderlands, and the Mid- West, and resulting in the eventual outbreak of a Civil War. An examination of slave narratives, escaping slave ads, the history of American religious societies, as well as examination of denominational doctrines, policies, public views, and actions regarding American slavery confirmed the impact of Kentucky’s 1797 Great Revival on freeing slaves, creating black church congregations, establishment of antislavery churches, and benevolent societies throughout Kentucky and the Mid-West. These newly formed churches and societies spread the gospel of black freedom beyond Kentucky into Western Territories particularly Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. The spread of an evangelical religious message and the violent displacement of white and black antislavery advocates had the unintended consequence of aiding freedom seeking slaves in the formation of independent, black settlements and religious societies, not only in Kentucky but also in the North and West. This work acknowledges the central role Kentucky played in providing two of the three acknowledged and well-documented national Underground Railroad escape corridors which successfully ran through eastern Kentucky’s Appalachian Mountains and within the core of the state’s Western and Central Bluegrass Regions. KEYWORDS: Underground Railroad, Enslaved African Americans, Free Blacks, Protestant Evangelicals, African American Churches Alicestyne Turley_________ Student’s Signature May 8, 2009_____________ Date SPIRITED AWAY: BLACK EVANGELICALS AND THE GOSPEL OF FREEDOM, 1790-1890 By Alicestyne Turley __________Dr.. Ron Eller________________ Co-Director of Dissertation ________Dr. Joanne Pope Melish ________ Co-Director of Dissertation _________Dr. David Hamilton____________ Director of Graduate Studies ___________ May 8, 2008______________ Date RULES FOR THE USE OF DISSERTATIONS Unpublished dissertations submitted for the Doctor’s degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgements. Extensive copying or publication of the dissertation in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. A library that borrows this dissertation for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user. Name Date ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ DISSERTATION Alicestyne Turley The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2009 SPIRITED AWAY: BLACK EVANGELICALS AND THE GOSPEL OF FREEDOM, 1790-1890 _______________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION _______________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Alicestyne Turley Lexington, Kentucky Co-Director: Dr. Ron Eller, Professor of History Co-Director, Dr. Joanne Pope Melish, Professor of History Lexington, Kentucky 2009 Copyright © Alicestyne Turley 2009 DEDICATION Dedicated to the memory of escapees on the Underground Railroad - Moses and Susan Turley And to Floyd and Alberta Turley who kept their memory alive. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following dissertation, while an individual work, benefitted from the insights and direction of several people. First, my Dissertation Chair and noted Appalachian Scholar, Dr. Ron Eller, who exemplifies the high quality scholarship to which I aspire. In addition to the great influence and input of Dr. Joanne Pope Melish, who nurtured me through the dissertation process and early American historiography providing timely, instructive comments, and evaluation of my work that allowed completion of the dissertation. I would also like to thank the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. David Hamilton for his unwavering assistance. Next, I would like to thank the complete Dissertation Committee, Dr. Daniel B. Smith, Dr. Terry Birdwhistell, and my outside reader Dr. Geraldine Marchino. Each individual provided insights that guided and challenged my thinking, substantially improving the finished product. In addition to the technical and instrumental assistance above, I received equally important assistance from my family and friends, who did not quite understand the Ph.D. or dissertation process, but were dedicated to seeing that I finished it, particularly my sisters Lisa Kaye and Linda Gayle who inspired me with their own personal success. My mother, Alberta Williams Turley who instilled in me, from an early age a love and understanding of the importance of history, a need for questioning the “facts,” and the determination never to give up, as well as my father, Floyd Daniel Turley, Sr. who provided love and a safe harbor from which to learn. Finally, I would like to thank members of the Friends of the National Network to Freedom Association for keeping the true story of the Underground Railroad alive and authentic. Their continued research and dedication to purpose has created an informative network of assistance that guarantees the preservation of an important aspect of American history for future generations as well as providing new opportunities for continued academic inquiry. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………… iii List of Tables ……………………………………………………………………… v List of Maps ……………………………………………………………………….. vi Chapter I …………………………………………………………………………... 1 Introduction Chapter II …………………………………………………………………………. 10 Whites, Blacks and the Evangelical Tradition Chapter III ………………………………………………………………………… 56 Formation of Black Evangelical Churches Chapter IV ………………………………………………………………………… 126 An Evangelical Network to Freedom Chapter V …………………………………………………………………………. 166 “Resistance to Tyrants is Obedience to God” Chapter VI ………………………………………………………………………… 241 Conclusion Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………. 246 Vita …………………………………………………………………………………. 258 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 5.1, Escaped Kentucky Slaves in Oberlin, Ohio 1840-1900 ……….. 204 Table 5.2, Known Kentucky Members of the 54th Massachusetts USCTs .. 233 Table 5.3, Known Kentucky Members of the 55th Massachusetts USCTs .. 234 v LIST OF MAPS Map 2.1, Path of Kentucky’s 1801 Great Revival and Shaker Influence ... 55 Map 3.1, Pre-Civil War African American Baptist and Methodist Churches in Kentucky ………………………………………………………………... 125 Map 4.1 , Maps of the Shaker West ………………………………………….. 163 Map 4.2, Evangelical
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