In April 1816, sixteen African American Methodist congregations united in Philadelphia to formally organize the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, with Richard Allen, a former slave and self-taught minister, elected as its first bishop. The AME Church emerged from the Free African Society, established by Allen and Absalom Jones in 1787 in response to racial discrimination in white Methodist churches. This denomination became a cornerstone of Black community life, providing spiritual guidance, education, and a platform for abolitionist activism. The AME Church played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad and the broader fight against slavery.

The AME Church nurtured a rich literary tradition, publishing hymns, sermons, and abolitionist essays that shaped African American religious and political thought. Richard Allen's own autobiography and the church's periodicals provided a voice for Black expression and resistance. The denomination's influence is evident in the poetry of James Weldon Johnson, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and others who drew upon its spiritual and communal strength.