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Alexander Crummell (1819-1898)

Alexander Crummell, an Episcopalian priest, missionary, scholar, and teacher.  Crummell earned his degree from the University of Cambridge in 1853, becoming the first black student to graduate from the institution. He spent much of his life addressing the conditions of African Americans while urging an educated black elite to aspire to the highest intellectual attainments as a refutation of the theory of black inferiority. Alexander Crummell was born in New York City on March 3, 1819, to Charity Hicks and Boston Crummell. Both his mother and father were free, with Boston having been taken from Timannee, West Africa, and forced into bondage in the North, but eventually refusing servitude. With his parents believing in education for their children, Alexander began his education at an integrated school in New Hampshire. He later transferred to an abolitionist institute in Whitesboro, New York where he learned both the classics and manual labor skills. However, after being denied ...

Slave Owners Feared Baptism Would Make Slaves Free

Legislation was passed in several colonies, beginning in 1667 in Virginia, stipulating that baptism would not change slaves’ legal status.  This led to an increase in missionary activities to slaves because conversion did not imply emancipation. Short lived do to slave revolts. Slave owners regarded the substantial time required for religious instruction as uneconomical Slave owners argued that slaves were intellectually incapable of understanding the subtleties of Christian doctrine Slave owners were uncomfortable with the concept of spiritual equality between master and slave Spiritual equality would call into question the enslavement of fellow Christians Slave owners feared that conversion would make slaves more difficult to control and perhaps precipitate insurrection Some missionaries attempted to counter this fear by arguing that conversion would make slaves more docile and industrious. This was short lived after the enslaved revolts.