Sparks from the Anvil of Oppression: Philadelphia's African Methodists and Southern Migrants, 1890-1940

289 Pages·1993·42.29 MB·English

by  Robert Gregg

SPARKS FROM THE
ANVIL OF OPPRESSION
PHIlADELPHIA'S
African Methodists and
Southern Migrants, 1890-1940
Copyrighted Material
South Street, South Philodelphia, 1930.
Courte:,}' Philadelphia City Archives
Copyrighted Material
SPARKS
ANVIL
FROM THE
OF
OPPRESSION
PHILADELPHIA'S
African Methodists and
Southern Migrants, 1890-1940
ROBERT GREGG
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Co!WI~fJMfIbI
Temple University Press, Philadelphia 19122
Copyright © 1993 by Temple University. All rights reserved
Published 1993
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984 @
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gregg, Robert, 1958-
Sparks from the anvil of oppression : Philadelphia's African
Methodists and Southern migrants, 1890-1940/ Robert Gregg.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-56639-063-X (hard)
1. African Methodist Episcopal Church-Pennsylvania-Philadelphia
History-20th century. 2. Methodist Church-Pennsylvania
Philadelphia-History-20th century. 3. Afro-American churches
Pennsylvania-Philadelphia-History-20th century. 4. Philadelphia
(Pa.)-Church history-20th century. 5. Philadelphia (Pa.)-Race
relations. 6. Race relations-Religious aspects-Methodist Church.
I. Title.
BX8445.P5G74 1993 92-34589
287'.874811-dc20 CIP
Copyrighted Material
To Madhavi
Copyrighted Material
Copyrighted Material
Contents
Maps and Tables IX
Acknowledgments Xl
1 Introduction
PART 1
Churches and Ghettos
Z "Drowned by a Torrent of Migration" 21
3 Evangelism and Social Service 45
PART /I
"In the Pulpit and the Pew"
4 Uplifting "Backward Peoples" 69
5 "Pulpit Extension" 87
6 Service and Prestige 105
7 "Flaming Torches" 129
PART 111
The "Great Migration"
8 Many "Promised Lands" 147
9 The Earnest Pastor's Heated Term 175
10 "Let This Be Your Home" 193
11 Conclusion 217
Notes 223
copyh8Rfe'd Ma2fltlial
Copyrighted Material
Maps and Tables
Map I Concentration of African American Population in Philadelphia's
Wards, 1900 22
Map 2 Concentration of African American Population in Philadelphia's
Wards, 1930 26
Table 2.1 Black Laborers Employed in Industrial Plants in 1917 34
Table 2.2 Businesses Employing Blacks ca. 1923 35
Table 2.3 Black Professionals in 1908 and 1935 41
Table 7.1 Place of Birth of A.M.E. Ministers, 1880-1940 133
Table 7.2 Origins of Pastors by Region for Each
Decade, 1880-1950 133
Table 7.3 Ministers' Membership in Orders by Licensing Date 137
Table 7.4 Mean Number of Years Served by Pastors at Churches to
Which They Were Appointed between 1870 and 1949 143
Table 8.1 Reasons for Moving North by Rural and Urban
Groupings 152
Table 8.2 Date of Arrival of Head of Household by Rural and Urban
Groupings 153
Table· 8.3 Mean Number of Children per Family by Age Groups and
Rural and Urban Groupings 154
Table 8.4 Mean Wage of Household Head by Age Groups and Rural
and Urban Groupings 156
Table 8.5 Type of Place of Origin of Letter-Bearers from Florida,
Georgia, and South Carolina 162
Table 10.1 Distribution of Migrants among the
Denominations, 1923 212
Copyrighted Material