A power for good in the church: women’s organizations within the black Baptist church in Texas, 1880-1895.
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Black Baptist churches across the United States found themselves facing an unique opportunity at the end of the Civil War. One of the most frequent topics to be discussed was what role women should play, not only in the local churches but also in the regional Baptist associations. This thesis traces the question of women’s roles in the church from the debates and presentations in the early black Texas associations to the development a few years later of official women’s organization within the black Baptist churches. The thesis provides insight into why the women’s organizations developed within this small time frame formed a close relationship with missions organizations. Associational minutes as well as speeches are used to show the diversity of opinions present in the Texas churches at the close of the nineteenth century.