Richard Allen

Founded the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in 1816 when a group of black Methodists from independent churches in Northeastern cities came together after experiencing rejection. Richard was a deacon. The white Methodists tried to gain control of them, but the Pennsylvania supreme court. Other black Methodists came to form the AME church, then to place Allen as the first bishop. He was born into slavery and worked to buy his freedom. He was firm believer in outreach to the enslaved people of African descent in the United states and around the world.