Peter Williams Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Williams Jr.
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| Born | 1786 |
| Died | 1840 (aged 54) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | African Free School |
| Occupation | Priest |
Peter Williams Jr. (1786–1840) was an important African-American Episcopal priest. He was the second black priest in the United States and the first in New York City.
Williams was a strong supporter of ending slavery, also known as an abolitionist. He also thought that free black people should consider moving to Haiti. Haiti was a black republic in the Caribbean that became independent in 1804. However, in the 1820s and 1830s, he disagreed with the American Colonization Society. This group wanted to move free black people to a colony called Liberia in West Africa.
In 1808, he helped start St. Philip's African Church in lower Manhattan. This was the second black Episcopal church in the U.S. In 1827, he helped create Freedom's Journal. This was the first newspaper in the United States owned and run by African Americans. In 1833, he started the Phoenix Society. This group helped African Americans. That same year, he joined the American Anti-Slavery Society.
Early Life and Education
Peter Williams Jr. was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey. His father, Peter Williams, was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. His mother was an indentured servant from St. Kitts.
Later, his family moved to New York City. Peter Williams Jr. went to the African Free School there. This school was started by the New York Manumission Society. He also received private lessons from Rev. Thomas Lyell, a well-known Episcopal priest.
In 1796, his father helped create the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AME Zion) in New York. This became an independent church for black people. It was the second independent black church in the U.S. The first was the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) in Philadelphia.
Becoming a Leader and Priest
Williams became more involved with the Episcopal Church. He attended afternoon services at Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan with other free black people. From 1803, Rev. John Henry Hobart taught him. Williams soon became a leader in his community.
In 1808, he gave an important speech. It was about the first anniversary of the U.S. ending the international slave trade. His speech was called An Oration on the Abolition of the Slave Trade. It was published as a pamphlet. This was one of the first times a black person published something about ending slavery.
In 1818, Williams started a black Episcopal church. It was named St. Philip's African Church. Rev. Thomas Lyell supported this effort. The next year, the Episcopal Church officially recognized the congregation. It was the second black Episcopal church in the U.S. The first was in Philadelphia. St. Philip's was first in Lower Manhattan, where many black people lived. As people moved, the church also moved to Harlem in the early 1900s.
Williams believed that groups working to end slavery would help free African Americans. He thought they would learn good habits like 'morality, industry and economy'. He hoped this would lead to a world where there were no differences in rights between black and white people.
Williams continued his leadership. He became an Episcopal priest on July 10, 1826. He was the second black priest in the U.S. and the first in New York. The next year, he helped start Freedom's Journal. This was the first black newspaper in the United States. He also taught bright students at the African Free School. One student was James McCune Smith. Williams helped Smith go to college and medical school in Scotland. Smith later returned to New York as the first university-trained African-American doctor.
In 1833, Williams founded the Phoenix Society. This group helped African Americans support each other. That same year, he joined the American Anti-Slavery Society. He was chosen as one of the black leaders on the group's board. However, his bishop asked him to leave the society.
Family Life
Rev. Hobart led the wedding of Peter Williams Jr. and his wife. They had a daughter named Amy Matilda Williams. She grew up and married Joseph Cassey, a wealthy black financier from Philadelphia.
See also
