I had never heard of the African Colonization Society (ACS) before researching the originator of today’s prayer. The ACS came into existence in America in 1816 to promote the manumission of enslaved and free blacks to West Africa. Not surprisingly, its membership was overwhelmingly white. The few blacks who joined its ranks did so because they were convinced blacks would never receive justice in the States.
Peter Williams (1780-1840) was an Episcopal priest in America, only the second person of color to be ordained in the Episcopal denomination. He became pastor of St. Philip’s African Church in New York City in 1826. On July 4, 1830, his congregation gathered for worship to mark Independence Day. Peter observed at the outset of his message that July 4th was an independence celebration for white people. Blacks were being deprived of the self-evident truths guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence. He found it ironic that the same people who held liberty and equality in such high esteem were also the ones who kept slaves. While rejoicing in their deliverance from a foreign yoke, they fastened a more grievous burden on a class of enslaved people. How can America be “a land of the free” when millions are enslaved? He asked. “We are natives of this country,” he reminded them, “not a few of our fathers suffered and bled to purchase its freedom” (including Peter’s father, who fought in the Revolutionary War). He challenged the ACS, who wanted to rid America of its colored population, to lay aside its prejudices, honor America’s Declaration of Independence, and live out the gospel.
Three years later, a race riot erupted in New York as whites protested job competition from free blacks. Peter and his church were targeted, fueled by the false rumor that Peter had officiated an interracial marriage at his church. Rioters ransacked the church and destroyed it, yet the congregation persevered. Peter’s resolute trust in God is expressed in his prayer: