Excerpt from A History of the Negro Baptists of North Carolina Since communication among the N egroes before the war was altogether. Verbal, confined to narrow lim itations, and since no record was kept of his doings as a churchman, it is impossible to get anything like an accurate statement of his history previous to the emancipation. Since we know that there were in this country at the close of the war four hundred thousand Negro Baptists, and since the Negro Baptists of North Carolina formed a part of that number we know they had an existence of some kind. Consider ing conditions as they were at that time, and taking the statements as we gather them here and there, it is safe to say throughout the entire South they existed only in connection with the white churches. In the history of the North Carolina Baptist State Convem tion, by Rev. Livingston Johnson, we get the follow ing in 1837 The committee on religious instruc tion of slaves urged that places be provided for them in the houses of worship, and that their religious ih struction receive special attention. Relating to another statement in the Convention of 1850 is the following The churches of the State are urged to establish schools for the oral instruction of the colored people. In some instances the colored people were allowed to hold services conducted by some member of their own race in some sections and at specified times, but such meetings were usuallv held under the supervision of a white man, and at his discretion these meetings were brought to a close. In very many instances such meetings were even con ducted by a member of the white race. In matters of discipline, especially if a white member was involved, the colored people had no voice whatever. In matters affecting their own number often some colored brother in whom the church had confidence would make re ports and recommendations. In compliance With the resolution of 1837, which we have already mentioned, in some instances provision was made in the erection of the church edifice by petition, and in the galleries for the accommodation of the colored brethren. In the communion services, after the bread and'wine had been passed to the white brethren, it was passed in turn to the colored brethren. This was regarded by them as a God-sent privilege and a blessing; for which their Amens were often loud and lasting. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This meticulously researched book offers a comprehensive history of the African American Baptist churches of North Carolina. From their origins in the 18th century to the challenges they faced during the Civil Rights era, J. A. Whitted chronicles the struggles and triumphs of a vital segment of North Carolina's religious and social history. With an eye for detail and a deep respect for his subject, Whitted presents a nuanced and compelling portrait of a vibrant community. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Traces the history and development of the black Baptist church in North Carolina, beginning with the pre-Civil War era and ending during the first decade of the twentieth-century. It also traces the establishment of North Carolina based black Baptist foreign mission societies that conducted missionary activities in Africa and details the history of Shaw University, located in Raleigh, North Carolina. Other chapters provide biographical sketches of leading black Baptists, and brief histories of the Baptist secondary schools, Baptist papers, associations and conventions in North Carolina from the 1860s through the 1900s.

The writer of this little book has fulfilled a long cherished desire, not in its best sense to say a history, but to lay some kind of foundation, so that the historian of the future may have something to build upon and may someday give to the world the facts concerning the service, sacrifice and achievements of the Negro Baptists of North Carolina. While the difficulty in obtaining information at times has caused discouragement and delay, the writer has never engaged in any task which has brought to him so much satisfaction and pleasure, and he will feel amply repaid if the readers find half so much pleasure and profit in the reading. The writer, too, expresses the hope when some other shall undertake to build on this foundation it will not be so difficult to obtain the necessary information. To all who have responded and have furnished data for this book the writer wishes to express his grateful acknowledgment.

A comprehensive study of African-American Baptist history and the key role played in the development of Christianity in America.