1619
- African Americans brought to Jamestown, Virginia as indentured servants; the first African Americans brought to North American colonies.
1629
- Slavery introduced in the Connecticut Colony.
1634
- Slavery introduced in the Maryland Colony.
1636
- Slavery introduced in the Delaware Colony.
1711
- Jupiter Hammon, first African American poet born; his poems largely reflect Methodist piety.
1758
- First black baptized by John Wesley.
1766
- First American Methodist congregation formed in New York City;
- Betty, and African American servant, among its members.
1774
- John Wesley published Thoughts Upon Slavery.
1777
- Richard Allen (1760-1831) converted.
1780
- Henry Evans (?-1810), a Virginia freeman and licensed Methodist preacher established a church in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
1781
- Harry Hosier (ca. 1750-1806) licensed to preach in Virginia.
1782
- Richard Allen licensed to preach.
1784
- Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) founded; Richard Allen and Harry Hosier present.
1786
- Richard Allen founds the Free African Society in Philadelphia.
1790
- Harry Evans organizes a church in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
1791
- John Wesley’s “last” letter to Wilberforce on abolishing slavery.
1792
- Richard Allen leads African Americans out of St. George’s Church.
1794
- Bethel African MEC founded in Philadelphia.
1796
- Zoar MEC founded in Philadelphia.
- Zion MEC organized in New York by James Varick (ca. 1750- 1828) and others.
1799
- Richard Allen ordained a deacon by Bishop Francis Asbury.
1800
- MEC General Conference issues Pastoral Letter on Abolishing Slavery and gives bishops the authority to ordain African Americans as local deacons.
1802
- By this date, all northern states had passed measures outlawing slavery or providing for its gradual elimination, except New Jersey which did so in 1804.
1813
- Union Church of Africans founded by Peter Spencer in Wilmington, Delaware.
1815
- John Stewart begins his work with the Wyandottes with the assistance of Jonathan Pointer.
1816
- African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) founded in Philadelphia, Richard Allen elected bishop.
1817
- Richard Allen gives Jarena Lee permission to hold prayer meetings and exhort.
1818
- John Stewart licensed to preach by the Urbana, Ohio, Quarterly Conference.
1820
- African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ) founded.
1822
- Daniel Coker organizes a Methodist society among freed slaves while traveling to Liberia.
- James Varick elected first Bishop of AMEZ Church.
1824
- Feeling the abolition of slavery impossible, the MEC turned its attention to regulating the treatment of slaves by its members.
1830
- Methodist Protestant Church (MPC) splits off from the MEC with abolition being one of the major reasons.
1844
- The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MECS), splits off from the MEC primarily over the slavery question.
1846
- Baltimore Colored Mission organized in the MPC.
1849
- Jarena Lee’s Journal published.
1852
- African Americans in New York and Philadelphia propose the formation of a mission conference.
1856
- MEC General Conference gives presiding elders authority to employ African American pastors.
1858
- Francis Burns elected missionary bishop.
1861
- Civil War begins.
1863
- Emancipation Proclamation
1864
- MEC General Conference approved ordination; African American elder.
- Founding of the first two African American conferences: Delaware and Washington.
- Frank B. Smith becomes the first African American to be admitted to a MEC annual conference (New England).
1865
- Mississippi Mission Conference (MEC) organized.
- 13th Amendment enacted abolishing slavery.
1866
- MECS votes to establish African American districts, conferences and general conference.
- Freedmen’s Aid Society (MEC) founded in Cincinnati.
- Shaw University (later Rust College) founded by the Freedmen’s Aid Society.
- South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas Mission Conferences (MEC) organized.
1867
- Georgia Mission Conference (MEC) organized.
1868
- Delaware and Washington Conferences become annual conferences.
- Walden Seminary founded by the Freedmen’s Aid Society.
1869
- Lexington, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas Conferences (MEC) organized.
- Clark and Claflin Colleges and New Orleans University founded by the Freedmen’s Aid Society.
1870
- The Colored (Now Christian) Methodist Episcopal Church founded in Jackson, Tennessee; William Miles and Richard Vanderhorst elected its first two bishops.
1871
- North Carolina Colored Mission Conference (MPC) organized.
1872
- Cookman Institute founded by the Freedmen’s Aid Society in Jacksonville, Florida.
1873
- Bennett and Wiley Colleges founded by the Freedmen’s Aid Society.
- Florida Conference (MEC) organized.
1874
- Women’s Parent Mite Missionary Society (AME) formed.
- West Texas Conference (MEC) organized; creates a Mexican Border District.
1876
- Central Alabama and Savannah Conferences (MEC) organized. MEC General Conference voted to divide annual conferences along racial lines.
- Samuel Huston College founded by the West Texas Conference (MEC) as the Andrew’s Normal School.
- Medical Department of Central Tennessee College established.
1878
- Little Rock Conference (MEC) organized.
- Colorado Texas Colored Mission Conference (MPC) organized.
1879
- Alabama Mississippi Conference (MPC) organized.
1880
- East Tennessee Conference (MEC) organized.
1881
- Amanda Berry Smith becomes a missionary to Liberia.
- Morristown Seminary founded.
1882
- Paine College founded as a joint venture of the MECS and CME Churches.
1883
- Walden Seminary becomes Philander Smith College.
- Gammon Theological Seminary chartered; originally founded in 1875 as the theological department of Clark College.
1884
- Licensing of women approved by AME General Conference.
- Spring Creek Colored Mission Conference (MPC, Tennessee) organized.
1886
- Central Missouri Conference (MEC) organized.
1888
- Sarah Gorham becomes the first woman AME foreign missionary.
- Charleston Colored Mission Conference (MPC) organized.
1891
- Upper Mississippi Conference (MEC) organized.
1892
- Arkansas Mississippi Conference (MPC) organized.
1896
- Dallas Colored Mission Conference (MPC) organized.
1897
- Atlanta Conference (MEC) organized.
1898
- Woman’s Home and Foreign Missionary Societies (AME) founded.
1900
- Mobile Conference (MEC) organized.
- Medical Department of Central Tennessee College becomes Meharry Medical College.
1901
- AME founded Colored Deaconess Homes in Roanoke, Virginia.
- Baltimore-Washington Conference (MPC) organized.
- Woman’s Home Missionary Society (MECS) begins work at Paine College.
1902
- Okaneb Conference (MEC) organized.
1903
- Lincoln Conference (MEC) superseding the Okaneb Conference.
1904
- Mary McLeod Bethune founded Daytona Normal and Industrial School for Negro Girls.
1905
- South Florida Mission (MEC) organized.
1906
- Martha Drummer, and African American deaconess of the New England Deaconess Training School, is sent to Angola by the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society (MEC).
- Anna Hall, another African American deaconess, becomes a missionary to Liberia.
1908
- Mrs. M. C. B. Mason named supervisor of the Bureau of Colored deaconess (MEC).
1915
- Shaw University becomes Rust College.
1920
- Robert E. Jones becomes the first African American bishop elected to serve in the United States (MEC).
1921
- South Florida Mississippi Conference (MEC) organized, superseding the South Florida Mission.
1923
- Daytona Normal and Industrial School merges with Cookman Institute to form Bethune-Cookman Institute.
1924
- South Carolina Colored Mission Conference (MPC) organized, superseding the Charleston Colored Mission Conference.
1928
- Matthew W. Clair, Sr., becomes the second African American bishop to serve in the United States.
1929
- Southwest Conference (MEC) organized through a merger of the Little Rock Conferences and part of the Lincoln Conferences.
- Central West Conference (MEC) organized through a merger of the Central Missouri and part of the Lincoln Conferences.
1930
- Dillard University founded through a merger of Straight and New Orleans Universities.
1931
- The Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching is founded, led by Jessie Daniel Ames, member of the MECS.
1939
- The Methodist Church is formed through a merger of the MEC, MECS and MPC Churches.
- Central Jurisdiction founded.
- World War II begins.
1940
- First meeting of the Central Jurisdiction. W. A. C. Hughes and Lorenzo King elected the first two bishops.
- Women’s Society of Christian Service, Central Jurisdiction, organized.
1941
- United States enter World War II.
1952
- Huston-Tillotson College founded through the merger of Tillotson and Samuel Huston Colleges.
1954
- Brown v. the Board of Education case; one of the lawyers arguing the case was Charles S. Scott, a Methodist layman.
1956
- General Conference adopts Amendment IX which provided the framework for the elimination of the Central Jurisdiction.
1960
- Central Jurisdiction forms Committee of Five to study ways of eliminating the jurisdiction.
- Tennessee-Kentucky Conference organized.
1967
- Last session of the Central Jurisdiction held in Nashville.
1968
- Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB) and Methodist Church (U.S.) merge.
- Central Jurisdiction eliminated.
- Roy C. Nichols becomes the first African American to be elected bishop by a regional jurisdiction conference.
- General Commission on Religion and Race (GCRR) formed.
- Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR) formed.
1976
- National Division of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) funds the Ethnic Ministry Local Church Program (EMLC).
- Mai Gray becomes the first African American president of the Women’s Division of the GBGM.
1984
- Leontine T. C. Kelly becomes the first African American woman to be elected bishop.
1987
- United Methodist Church (UMC) begins plans to formally count the number of ethnic minority persons, both clergy and laity.
1988
- First church wide gathering of Black UMC clergywomen takes place in Freeport, Bahamas.
- EMLC Program launches a mission program to develop and strengthen ethnic churches.
1990
- First annual “Black School of Sacred Music” convenes in Waveland, Mississippi.
1991
- General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH) published four books on the racial/ethnic presence in United Methodism.
1992
- Alfred L. Norris, African American, elected bishop at General Conference.
- Reverend Joseph E. Lowry, United Methodist civil rights leader, retires.
- National Mission Workshop meets in Los Angeles to call for an expanded role for racial/ethnic congregations.
- BMCR urge support for Hispanic, Asian and Native American churches and communities.
- BMCR twenty-fifth anniversary.
- GCRR twenty-fifth anniversary.
1993
- Compton Project, campus ministry to Blacks and Hispanics at Compton College, California, begins.