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Five. American Missionaries in Africa, 1780–1920s

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United States and Africa Relations, 1400s to the Present
This chapter is in the book United States and Africa Relations, 1400s to the Present
SNL1071075American Missionaries in Africa, 1780 –1920sIn the framework of United States-Africa relations, American missionary ar-rival in Africa did not emerge in a vacuum. Like the concept of pan-Negro con-sciousness, the American Colonization Society, the Back-to-Africa movement, and other similar ideological conduits that sustained the long-running trans- Atlantic exchanges, American missions to Africa further attest to the strong bonds between Africa and America. The late eighteenth century witnessed a sudden spike in Christian missionary interest in the Atlantic world as the fl uxes and patterns of race relations in the United States continued to affect the Afri-can continent in radical ways.The impetus for the American proselytizers (of whom African Americans were an important part) to connect with Africa paralleled other historical devel-opments that had profound reverberations on both sides of the Atlantic world. Among them are the American Revolution (1775–1783), the discourses on slav-ery and freedom it engendered, and the dynamics that led to the founding of the colonies of Sierra Leone (1787) and Liberia (1822). These events, along with the Enlightenment ideals, moved some forward-thinking abolitionists and reli-gious leaders to question the morality of slavery in particular and the oppression of the American poor in general.1 William Kashatus observes that the Philadel-phia Chapter of the American Quakers (or Society of Friends) emerged in the mid-eighteenth century as fervent advocates for the underprivileged, putting forth the view that Christianity was the answer to a more peaceful social order in a world in rapid fl ux.2 This declaration prepared the stage for the gradual rise and expansion of the global American Christian evangelical enterprise, which encompassed Africa.The American Christian missions to Africa are unique because of the African American factor. Whether pursued under the aegis of White boards or Black Y7711-Falola.indb 107Y7711-Falola.indb 1073/30/20 1:33:53 PM3/30/20 1:33:53 PM
© Yale University Press, New Haven

SNL1071075American Missionaries in Africa, 1780 –1920sIn the framework of United States-Africa relations, American missionary ar-rival in Africa did not emerge in a vacuum. Like the concept of pan-Negro con-sciousness, the American Colonization Society, the Back-to-Africa movement, and other similar ideological conduits that sustained the long-running trans- Atlantic exchanges, American missions to Africa further attest to the strong bonds between Africa and America. The late eighteenth century witnessed a sudden spike in Christian missionary interest in the Atlantic world as the fl uxes and patterns of race relations in the United States continued to affect the Afri-can continent in radical ways.The impetus for the American proselytizers (of whom African Americans were an important part) to connect with Africa paralleled other historical devel-opments that had profound reverberations on both sides of the Atlantic world. Among them are the American Revolution (1775–1783), the discourses on slav-ery and freedom it engendered, and the dynamics that led to the founding of the colonies of Sierra Leone (1787) and Liberia (1822). These events, along with the Enlightenment ideals, moved some forward-thinking abolitionists and reli-gious leaders to question the morality of slavery in particular and the oppression of the American poor in general.1 William Kashatus observes that the Philadel-phia Chapter of the American Quakers (or Society of Friends) emerged in the mid-eighteenth century as fervent advocates for the underprivileged, putting forth the view that Christianity was the answer to a more peaceful social order in a world in rapid fl ux.2 This declaration prepared the stage for the gradual rise and expansion of the global American Christian evangelical enterprise, which encompassed Africa.The American Christian missions to Africa are unique because of the African American factor. Whether pursued under the aegis of White boards or Black Y7711-Falola.indb 107Y7711-Falola.indb 1073/30/20 1:33:53 PM3/30/20 1:33:53 PM
© Yale University Press, New Haven

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. CONTENTS vii
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. The age of Slavocrats: labor, culture, and power relations
  6. One. African Labor and the British American Colony, 1619–1865 17
  7. Two. The African Diaspora: Memory, Survival, and Longing for Africa 45
  8. Three. From Land of Freedom to Crown Colony of Sierra Leone 63
  9. Four. President James Monroe and the Colonization Society: From Monrovia to Liberia 84
  10. Part II. The age of ideas: pragmatism, self-preservation, and African regenerations
  11. Five. American Missionaries in Africa, 1780–1920s 107
  12. Six. The Back-to-Africa Movement/Black Zionism, 1916–1940 129
  13. Seven. The Pan-Africanist Idea 150
  14. Eight. Cultural Exchanges and Trans-Atlantic Bonds: African Music and the Evolution of Blues and Jazz 164
  15. Part III. African colonial freedom and the modern experience
  16. Nine. The Civil Rights Movement Meets Decolonization 185
  17. Ten. The Cold War: U.S. African Foreign Policy Reset 206
  18. Eleven. African-Born Immigrants in the United States 229
  19. Twelve. U.S. Pressures: Human Rights and Democratization Movements in Africa, 1989–2016 246
  20. Thirteen. Africa and the New Global Age: China’s Giant Strides 260
  21. Fourteen. The Obama Presidency and Africa: Opportunities and Disappointments 284
  22. Conclusion: Reflections 307
  23. Notes 311
  24. Index 389
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https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300255911-007

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. CONTENTS vii
  3. Preface ix
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. The age of Slavocrats: labor, culture, and power relations
  6. One. African Labor and the British American Colony, 1619–1865 17
  7. Two. The African Diaspora: Memory, Survival, and Longing for Africa 45
  8. Three. From Land of Freedom to Crown Colony of Sierra Leone 63
  9. Four. President James Monroe and the Colonization Society: From Monrovia to Liberia 84
  10. Part II. The age of ideas: pragmatism, self-preservation, and African regenerations
  11. Five. American Missionaries in Africa, 1780–1920s 107
  12. Six. The Back-to-Africa Movement/Black Zionism, 1916–1940 129
  13. Seven. The Pan-Africanist Idea 150
  14. Eight. Cultural Exchanges and Trans-Atlantic Bonds: African Music and the Evolution of Blues and Jazz 164
  15. Part III. African colonial freedom and the modern experience
  16. Nine. The Civil Rights Movement Meets Decolonization 185
  17. Ten. The Cold War: U.S. African Foreign Policy Reset 206
  18. Eleven. African-Born Immigrants in the United States 229
  19. Twelve. U.S. Pressures: Human Rights and Democratization Movements in Africa, 1989–2016 246
  20. Thirteen. Africa and the New Global Age: China’s Giant Strides 260
  21. Fourteen. The Obama Presidency and Africa: Opportunities and Disappointments 284
  22. Conclusion: Reflections 307
  23. Notes 311
  24. Index 389
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