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  2. Soul Liberty: The Evolution of Black Religious Politics in Postemancipation Virginia

Soul Liberty: The Evolution of Black Religious Politics in Postemancipation Virginia

Nicole Myers Turner
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  • Overview

  • Contents

That churches are one of the most important cornerstones of black political organization is a commonplace. In this history of African American Protestantism and American politics at the end of the Civil War, Nicole Myers Turner challenges the idea of black churches as having always been politically engaged. Using local archives, church and convention minutes, and innovative Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping, Turner reveals how freedpeople in Virginia adapted strategies for pursuing the freedom of their souls to worship as they saw fit—and to participate in society completely in the evolving landscape of emancipation.

Freedpeople, for both evangelical and electoral reasons, were well aware of the significance of the physical territory they occupied, and they sought to organize the geographies that they could in favor of their religious and political agendas at the outset of Reconstruction. As emancipation included opportunities to purchase properties, establish black families, and reconfigure gender roles, the ministry became predominantly male, a development that affected not only discourses around family life but also the political project of crafting, defining, and teaching freedom. After freedmen obtained the right to vote, an array of black-controlled institutions increasingly became centers for political organizing on the basis of networks that mirrored those established earlier by church associations.

  • Title Page
  • Copyright
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • List of Figures, Graphs, Maps, and Tables
  • Note from the Author about the Digital Humanities and This Book
  • Acknowledgments
  • Abbreviations in the Text
  • Introduction
  • Chapter One: Making a New Religious Freedom
  • Chapter Two: Independent Black Church Conventions, 1866–1868
  • Chapter Three: Religion, Race, and Gender at the Congregational Level
  • Chapter Four: Theological Education, Race Relations, and Gender, 1875–1882
  • Chapter Five: Politics of Engagement
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix I. Black Politicians and Religious Affiliations, 1865–1890
  • Appendix II. Baptist Association Membership and Churches
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
Citable Link
Published:2020
Publisher:University of North Carolina Press
Copyright Holder:Nicole Myers Turner
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license
ISBN(s)
  • 978-1-4696-5525-3 (open access)

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Pie chart showing the following roles and percentages: Recommender/Charger- 1%; Charger -10%; Charged- 36%; Recommender - 1%; Recommended - 8%; Committee - 11%; Member 33%

Roles of Gilfield Members in Church Records

From Chapter 3

GRAPH 3.1 Roles of Gilfield members in church records. Of the 131 members whose names were found in the census, 43 (33 percent) were just members listed in Henry Williams Record Book; the remainder (88 or 67 percent) were involved in discipline cases in some capacity. Source: Gilfield Baptist Church Record Book, 1868–71.

Graph of 35 different occupations and the numbers of individuals reporting each of occupation.

Occupations of Select Gilfield Members

From Chapter 3

GRAPH 3.2 Occupations of select Gilfield members. Of the sixty-eight individuals whose occupations could be identified, about two-thirds were unskilled laborers, and many (twelve) worked in the tobacco factory. Sources: Gilfield Record Book, Henry Williams Record Book, and 1860, 1870, and 1880 U.S. Census.

Graph of numbers of men and women restored, rejected, dropped, objected in church meetings

Gilfield Restorations, 1861-1862

From Chapter 3

GRAPH 3.3 Gilfield restorations, 1861–1862. As this graphic makes clear, men had an easy walk toward restoration, but women did not. Source: Gilfield Baptist Church Record Book, 1868–1871.

Image of John Mercer Langston seated.

Professor John Mercer Langston, Howard University

From Chapter 5

FIGURE 5.1 Professor John Mercer Langston, Howard University. Langston’s wealth and social status allowed him to secure political support from black voters in Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District. Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-DIG-cwpbh-00690.

Sketch of large hall with three tiers in the background and several men in the foreground.

The Readjuster State Convention at Richmond

From Chapter 5

FIGURE 5.2 “Virginia—the Readjuster State Convention at Richmond—Mr. Massey Moving to Make Unanimous Nomination of Col. Wm. E. Cameron for Governor June 3d—From Sketch by Walter Golfer—See Page 287.” Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, 25 June 1881. The illustrator depicted the attendees as better dressed and of higher status than the newspaper accounts indicated. Courtesy of the Library of Virginia.

Image of James M. Gregory

James M. Gregory

From Chapter 5

FIGURE 5.3 James M. Gregory. Professor Gregory was a noted leader among black people. He was featured in the compendium Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive Rising by William J. Simmons. Courtesy of the New York Public Library.

浸信会各郡的地图,上面有马宏的画布。

Comparative Map of Conventions and Mahone Canvas, c. 1883

From Chapter 6

MAP 5.1 Comparative map of conventions and Mahone canvass, c. 1883. An interactive version can be found in the Fulcrum edition.

Map of election results showing Republicans did not have majority support in any county in 1877.

Map of 1877 Gubernatorial Election Results

From Chapter 5

5.2 1877年州长选举结果地图。1877年弗吉尼亚浸信会州大会(白色部分)并没有包括在1877年州长选举中强烈支持共和党的少数几个县。共和党人和“重新调整者”要想让更多的州向他们的目标靠拢,他们的工作很艰巨。这张地图的交互式版本可以在支点版中找到。来源:ICPSR;1824-1968年美国历史选举申报表[计算机文件];弗吉尼亚州浸信会会议纪要(1879年)

Map of election results showing support for Readjuster gubernatorial candidate in each county.

Map of 1881 Gubernatorial Election Results

From Chapter 5

MAP 5.3 Map of 1881 gubernatorial election results. An interactive version of this map can be found in the Fulcrum edition. Sources: ICPSR; United States Historical Election Returns, 1824–1968 [computer file]; church data gathered from convention minutes.

显示支持重新调整者州长候选人的选举结果地图和维吉尼亚浸信会州大会的轮廓。

Map of 1885 Gubernatorial Election Results

From Chapter 5

MAP 5.4 Map of 1885 gubernatorial election results. By 1885, when the Readjusters lost control of the legislature, most of the VBSC counties remained lukewarm supporters of the Republican-Readjuster ticket. An interactive version of this map can be found in the Fulcrum edition. Sources: ICPSR; United States Historical Election Returns, 1824–1968 [computer file]; Minutes of the Virginia Baptist State Convention, 1885.

Location Map Icon

1881 Gubernatorial Election Results

MAP 5.3 Map of 1881 gubernatorial election results. An interactive version of this map can be found in the Fulcrum edition. Sources: ICPSR; United States Historical Election Returns, 1824–1968 [computer file]; church data gathered from convention minutes.

Location Map Icon

1877 Gubernatorial Election Results

5.2 1877年州长选举结果地图。1877年弗吉尼亚浸信会州大会(白色部分)并没有包括在1877年州长选举中强烈支持共和党的少数几个县。共和党人和“重新调整者”要想让更多的州向他们的目标靠拢,他们的工作很艰巨。这张地图的交互式版本可以在支点版中找到。来源:ICPSR;1824-1968年美国历史选举申报表[计算机文件];弗吉尼亚州浸信会会议纪要(1879年)

Location Map Icon

Comparison of Conventions and Mahone Canvass c. 1883

MAP 5.1 Comparative map of conventions and Mahone canvass, c. 1883. An interactive version can be found in the Fulcrum edition.

Location Map Icon

1885 Gubernatorial Election Results

MAP 5.4 Map of 1885 gubernatorial election results. By 1885, when the Readjusters lost control of the legislature, most of the VBSC counties remained lukewarm supporters of the Republican-Readjuster ticket. An interactive version of this map can be found in the Fulcrum edition. Sources: ICPSR; United States Historical Election Returns, 1824–1968 [computer file]; Minutes of the Virginia Baptist State Convention, 1885.

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