Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
Charleston, South Carolina
Founded: 1816
Current Building: 1891

The congregation of Emanuel A.M.E. can trace its history to a group of slaves and free blacks who started a Charleston congregation in 1791. A founding member of the church, a free black man named Denmark Vesey, organized a slave revolt in 1822. The authorities discovered the plan, executing Vesey and 34 other alleged participants. All-black churches were outlawed in 1834, so members of Emanuel A.M.E. met in secret until the end of the Civil War in 1865.

Reconstruction: The Second Civil War
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