Bishop richard allen biography
Bishop richard allen timeline.
Richard Allen
(1760-1831)
Who Was Richard Allen?
Minister, educator and writer Richard Allen was born into slavery.
Bishop richard allen biography
He later converted to Methodism and bought his freedom. Fed up with the treatment of African American parishioners at the St. George Episcopal congregation, he eventually founded the first national Black church in the United States, the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
He was also an activist and abolitionist whose ardent writings would inspire future visionaries.
Early Years
Minister, educator and writer Allen was born into slavery presumably in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 14, 1760.
(As with other details surrounding Allen's life, there have been some questions as to the place of his birth, with certain sources asserting that he was born in Delaware.) Known as "Negro Richard," he and his family were sold by Benjamin Chew to a Delaware farmer, Stokeley Sturgis, sometime around 1768.
Allen converted to Methodism at the age of 17, afte