In 1737, Jonathan Edwards published A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God, one of the earliest written evangelical accounts describing the Great Awakening. In it, Edwards mentions that the religious revivals that swept through the American colonies drew “several Negros.” Yet in his telling, they are voiceless and passive.
Books, essays, and articles written by evangelical historians since then have largely followed in Edwards’s footsteps. Typically, the story of early American evangelicalism focuses on white male revival leaders, with marginal glances toward Black people. As a result, many—if not most—people carry a skewed perception of early evangelicalism and the diversity present in its days.
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