New hope: A story of religion and race during the American civil war

Yeakley, Nicholas

Publication

New hope: A story of religion and race during the American civil war

item.page.creator

Yeakley, Nicholas

Date

2022-12-16

Abstract

This dissertation examines the relationship between religion and race during the era of the American Civil War by tracing the story of New Hope Baptist Church of Waco, Texas. This African American Baptist church originally formed as a separate service of First Baptist Church of Waco in the decade before the Civil War, grew within this context despite adversity, and eventually separated to create an independent congregation in the wake of the Civil War. The research demonstrates that, in contrast to much of the literature that discusses the development of African American religion, at least some development of the “Black Church” took place within white dominated churches. Despite the general understanding of the era, study of First Baptist Church reveals that the idea that enslaved African Americans only began to gain some religious autonomy after emancipation is not true in all southern churches. Additionally, the story of New Hope also shows that although national events effect society, local action is essential in making societal progress and that well-meaning people can move forward even amid extreme adversity.