The era of 1800-1900s in Southern America and America at large is marked as an era of reform or change. This argent need for change can be described as developed need of purifying the American citizens as well as the entire country as well due to the wrongdoings that marked the country as impure. There were many aspects where they thought that should be changed, especially in regards to religion and slavery. Other elements that experienced the changes included economic, political, demographic issues and the humane and just treatment of Native Americans. These were the burning issues that they felt needed reforms to create a safe working environment that would enhance economic growth and peace among the societies (Haas, 2013). However, the South during this era was popularly known for its religious activities and slavery. In fact, it was believed or understood that religion was the one that strongly shaped the southern culture. This paper looks deeper into the religious reforms and slavery in the South during 1800-1900s, respectively.
Before the reforms started taking place, the Anglican Church was the primary source of religious practice all over the southern colonies, and it stretched all over the place. However, changes started taking place not long before the 1800s and alternatives to the Anglican movement were established, leading to the establishment of other evangelists as well. For most evangelicals, religion and conversion experience was seen as the only way to spiritual salvation. No other church or religious organization was famous when compared to the Anglican churches which were mostly linked to the British colonization. However, more changes started being witnessed in the 19th century when the Americans defeated the British. This period is the one that is known as the American Revolution, which was accompanied by more changes (Locke, & Wright, Eds. 2019). For instance, the religion in the South was reformed when many people started rejecting the Anglican movement since they were associating it with the British colony. This religion started experiencing rejection and suffered more since the US was rejecting any religious organization, especially the one linked to the Anglican Church. This changes led to many people who were followers of the Anglican to join and become Episcopalians, while others went ahead to join other institutions. These institutions that were joined and took over the religious activities in the South included the Baptists, Presbyterians, as well as the Methodists (Boles, Ed. 1988).
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On the minority sector, the Jews and Catholic believers also started emerging in some parts of the Southern areas particularly in New Orleans, Charleston and Savannah. The number of Jews was rapidly growing in Charleston by the 1800s and marked as the only region with the highest number of Jews in the United States. However, the streak did not last for long since it was overtaken by the city of New York, which also recorded a higher number of Jews (Haas, 2013). This high number led to the introduction of Judaism is major parts of the South in the United States. On the other hand, the Catholics also established themselves in Spanish Florida after the creation of Jamestown. Just like Judaism, Catholic grew very fast, and it led to Catholicism in British North America which was now part of the largest religious organization in the US by the Year 1850. The immigrants in the Northern states majorly contributed to this magnificent growth. Other religious groups who were dominating the South included the Methodists, Baptists as well as Presbyterians who were the vocal defenders of slavery especially during the outbreak of the Civil War (Boles, Ed. 1988).
According to Southern ministries, God was the one who wanted Africans to be slaves where they saw it as their highest callings. However, many black Americans did not agree with these claims, and they continued to protest for their freedom, and they were able to acquire prominent independent black churches. Racisms in the South were on the higher point, and more white missionaries in the South continued to preach and spread the pro-slavery theology that required the slaves to obey their masters. They as well continued to preach the biblical basis of racial slavery via the curse of Ham. As per this era, it was clear that the slaves were receiving Christian instructions of the white preachers or the masters as some used to call themselves. The primary message that was being stressed by these preachers was slave subservience (Locke, & Wright, Eds. 2019). The white preachers ensured that the slaves would not be educated so that they would not be able to read the Bible for themselves and see encouraging stories such as the one about Moses and the Israelites. This oppression saw many Blacks creating and practising their version of Christianity while borrowing little from the white community. A good example is Nat Turner, who considered himself as the prophet of the black people (Boles, Ed. 1988).
In conclusion, it is clear that slavery was at its highest peak in the South, and it was highly tied with religion. Many white preachers were using religious faith from what they believed to justify slavery claiming that it was ordered by God. Just as should be expected, the debate was getting hotter by the minute, and it led to the division of the Northern and Southern congregations which started with the Presbyterian schism in 1837 as the others followed. Southern men began developing ways on which they will end the conflict as it was getting out of hand, and they successfully accomplished it. The Old South, a symbol of the American faith, witnessed today as it serves as the origin of major religious practices in the United States.
References
Haas, A. (2013). Between Monroe Doctrine and Manifest Destiny: Spanish American Travel Narratives of Jacksonian America. In Mobile Narratives (pp. 44-56). Routledge.
Locke, J. L., & Wright, B. (Eds.). (2019). The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open US History Textbook, Vol. 1: To 1877. Stanford University Press. Retrieved from http://www.americanyawp.com/text/10-religion-and-reform/
Boles, J. B. (Ed.). (1988). Masters & Slaves in the House of the Lord: Race and Religion in the American South, 1740-1870. University Press of Kentucky.
