For a Great and Grand Purpose - (History of African American Religions) by Edgar Canter Brown & Larry Eugene Rivers (Paperback)

About the Book

This book tells how dedicated members of one of the oldest and most prominent Black religious institutions created a forceful presence within the American American community in Florida after the Civil War.

Book Synopsis

This book tells how dedicated members of one of the oldest and most
prominent Black religious institutions created a forceful presence
within the American American community in Florida after the Civil War.

Review Quotes

"Through a blend of denominational sources, newspapers, and public documents, the authors have reconstructed the Florida history of a significant but little-known religious body. Their narrative tells as much about the AMEZ Church as it does about the broader Black experience in the postbellum South."--Journal of American History

"Provides students of Florida and African American religious history with an informative account of Black religious self-determination and institution building in the Deep South."--Journal of African American History

"Offers us an outstanding history of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church in Florida during its formative years. . . . An important contribution to the historical understanding of African American religion in the South and Florida."--Journal of Southern History

"Has much to offer scholars and students in the field, especially from the standpoint of methodology, conceptual framework, and interpretive models. The book is quite useful for courses in American history and religion, African American religion and history, and religion and culture in the American South."--Journal of Southern Religion

"This work is focused, well-researched history. The authors have painstakingly compiled a complete institutional history from incomplete church records."--Florida Historical Quarterly

"Brown and Rivers have provided an invaluable service to historians of religion, African Americans and Florida, in their painstaking documentation of the AMEZ Church's formative years in the sunshine state."--H-Florida

About the Author

Canter Brown, Jr., is retired professor of history, having taught at Florida A&M University and Fort Valley State University. The author of numerous published works, his scholarship has been recognized with a variety of awards including the Florida Historical Society's Michael V. Gannon Lifetime Achievement Award. Larry E. Rivers, Distinguished Professor of History at Florida A&M University, is the author of numerous works, and the recipient of the Arthur W. Thompson Award from the Florida Historical Society and the Carter G. Woodson Award from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.