One of the important early black Churches included the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was started in the late 18^th century in Philadelphia by Americans of African descent led by 27 year old Richard Allen. The Church branched off the existing Methodist Church as a response to the "Africans" (as black Americans were called at the time) need for opportunities for self-expression. As with most American institutions, the St. George Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, included blatant racist practices that excluded much of its black members. As a result of racial discrimination rather than theological or doctrinal concerns, the African Methodist Episcopal Church was created 

Much like its earlier days, when Richard Allen organized night school, self-reliance and education is still stressed in this Church; now, the A.M.E. Church operates eleven institutions of higher education. Its popularity arose in its emphasis in the simplicity of its preachings of the gospel, which the unlearned could understand, and its involvement of an orderly system of rules and regulations that the underdeveloped needed. This was ideal because most of the founders were very poor and illiterate. Yet, under the leadership of Richard Allen, they managed to buy an old blacksmith shop, and to move it to a lot at the corner of Sixth and Lombard Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they organized Bethel A.M.E. Church (also called Mother Bethel) which stands today as one of the historic shrines of Philadelphia.

Other African American churches were soon founded in Baltimore, Maryland; Salem, New Jersey; Attlesboro, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware and other United States cities, which came together in 1816 and formed the Modern A.M.E. Church, where Richard Allen was elected to serve as the first active bishop.

Today, the A.M.E. Church has 18 active bishops and more than a million members scattered throughout all of the United States, and Canada, South America, West Africa, South Africa and the West Indies.

http://www.ame-church.org
American Methodist Episcopal Church, Fifth Episcopal District home page. Includes a link to information on Bishop John Bryant and his schedule. More importantly, a historical note on the founding fathers is included. Link to the next site is also included.

http://www.ame-today.com
Another A.M.E home page, which includes current news of the denomination. A menu is included with links to lists of the current bishops and officers of the Church, and an interactive approach is included through a guest book.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7803
This is a letter written by a pastor that includes information on the history of the A.M.E. and links to different home pages. This is informative, but the other A.M.E. home pages had considerably more content.

Campbell, James T. Songs of Zion: The African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States and South Africa. NY: Oxford University Press. 1995.

Payne, Bishop Daniel Alexander. Recollections of Seventy Years. NY: Arno Press. 1968.

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