Free African Society facts for kids

The Free African Society (FAS) was an important group started in 1787 in Philadelphia. It was created by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones. The FAS helped "free Africans and their descendants" by holding religious services and offering support to each other. It was the first Black religious organization in Philadelphia and led to the creation of the first independent Black churches in the United States.

Many free Black men were founding members, including Samuel Baston, Joseph Johnson, Cato Freedman, Caesar Cranchell, James Potter, and William White. Famous members also included Cyrus Bustill, James Forten, and William Gray, who worked to end slavery.

Why the Free African Society Was Needed

The Free African Society (FAS) began after the American Revolutionary War (1776-1783). It was the first Black mutual aid group in Philadelphia. After the war, many enslaved people gained freedom, especially in the southern states. Northern states mostly ended slavery.

Philadelphia became a popular place for free Black people. They came looking for jobs and new chances. By 1790, about 2,000 free Black residents lived there. This number kept growing. People also came from the Haitian Revolution and others were fugitive slaves escaping from the South.

Starting the Free African Society: 1787 to 1792

The FAS was founded in the spring of 1787 in Philadelphia. This was just before the Constitutional Convention met in the city.

Richard Allen, a Methodist preacher, and Absalom Jones were tired of being treated as second-class citizens in their white-led Methodist church. As more Black members joined, the church made them sit separately in a special gallery.

Allen and Jones wanted to create their own group. They wanted a place that truly met the needs of African Americans. The Free African Society was designed to be a mutual aid group. It helped widows, orphans, the sick, and those without jobs. They also supported children's education. If children couldn't go to free schools, the FAS helped them get apprenticeships.

The FAS offered social and economic advice. It also provided medical care. It helped new citizens feel more in control of their own lives. The society taught members to save money and be careful with it. This even became a model for later Black-owned banks. The FAS also worked to improve the morals of its members. They worked with the city to get land at Potter's Field for a burial ground. They also started recording marriages and births for their community.

To encourage responsibility, members paid one shilling per month in dues. This money created a fund to help everyone. If members didn't pay for three months, they lost their benefits. The dues helped fund community projects. For example, they had a food program to help the poor and widows.

Helping During the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793

The FAS became well-known for its members' brave work during the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. Many people left the city because of the sickness.

Doctor Benjamin Rush thought African Americans were immune to the disease. He wrote a letter in the newspaper, asking Black people to help others. Richard Allen and Absalom Jones agreed to help. They and other FAS members worked as nurses and helpers for both Black and white residents during those difficult months.

After their hard work, Allen and Jones wrote a book about what happened. It was called A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Black People during the late awful calamity ... They published it the next year. They wanted to correct the story and defend themselves. A man named Mathew Carey had published a pamphlet accusing Black people of charging too much for nursing. He also claimed they stole from white people during the epidemic. Allen and Jones pointed out that it was white nurses who charged high prices during the crisis.

New Churches and Education: 1794 to Early 1800s

Many FAS members wanted a stronger religious connection. They followed Absalom Jones when he started the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. It opened in 1794. This was the first Episcopal church for Black people. Many members had been part of the Anglican Church before the war. In 1804, Jones became the first Black Episcopal priest in the United States.

Richard Allen and other members wanted to stay Methodist. They founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME). Its first church building also opened in 1794. It was an independent church but still connected to the larger Methodist Church. Allen became a Methodist minister.

To be fully independent from white control, Allen brought several AME churches together in 1816. He founded the first fully independent Black church group, the AME Church. They chose him as their first bishop.

The Free African Society also helped educate Black people. In 1795, they started a reading class at a Sunday school at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1803, Cyrus Bustill opened a school for Black children in his home. A year later, Absalom Jones opened another school. By 1837, with help from the Quakers and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, Philadelphia had ten private schools for Black children.