An African American Pastor Before and During the American Civil War Volume 4: The Literary Archive of Henry Mc Neal Turner, 1880-1892

In January 1880, Henry McNeal Turner served as the publications director of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Five months later at the church’s General Conference on May 14, he became the 12th Bishop of The African Methodist Episcopal Church. Up to that point, Turner by all accounts had a productive career. He had already served one of the largest and most influential churches in the denomination (Israel AME in Washington) and served as the first African American chaplain in the Armed Forces. During American Reconstruction, Turner served on Georgia’s Constitutional Convention (1867), was elected to the House of Representatives (1868), became Customs Inspector and Postmaster general in Macon (1969), won reelection to the State House (1870), served as pastor of St. Philip AME Church in Savannah (1872-1876), and became Publications Manager for the AME church (1876-1880). However, as Reconstruction gave way to the post-reconstruction realities for African Americans, Turner’s election to bishop gave him a larger platform to share his views on race, emigration, the church, politics and much more. This volume captures some of that writing.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Letters
Presidential Election (March 25, 1880)
Bishop Turner’s Review (December 8, 1881)
Advisory Committee on African Colonization (January 4, 1883)
Bishop Turner’s Reply (January 25, 1883)
The African Question (February 22, 1883)
Bishop Turner on the Outrage of Bishop Campbell (March 31, 1883)
An Appeal for Union (April 19, 1883)
C.S. Smith: The Dr. Vincent of the A.M.E. Church (May 23, 1883)
The African Question Again (June 21, 1883)
Letters to B.K. Sampson (November 8, 1883)
Comments on Bishop Payne’s African Letter (December 6, 1883)
Reply to Rev. A.J. Kershaw’s Review (September 25, 1884)
The A.M.E. Church Review (October 2, 1884)
Bishop Turner to Bishop Campbell (November 20, 1884)
Bishop Turner and Campbell (December 18, 1884)
President Cleveland’s Inaugural (March 19, 1885)
Contemplations (June 4, 1885)
Contemplations (June 11, 1885)
Wilberforce University (July 9, 1885)
Observations (July 23, 1885)
Bishop Turner Replies to Dr. Johnson (August 27, 1885)
Bishop Turner on a Chaplain for the Convicts (October 1, 1885)
Bishop Turner’s Reply to Gov. Bullock (November 24, 1885)
The Southern Chain Gang (March 13, 1886)
Centralization Discussed (May 29, 1886)
Contemplations (June 25, 1886)
Plain Words on Plain Topics (July 1, 1886)
Success Under Disadvantages (September 2, 1886)
Bishop Turner’s Plain Talk (September 23, 1886)
Bishop Turner to the Unknown (October 21, 1886)
Bishop Turner Replies to Rev. I.F. Aldridge (January 6, 1887)
The Bishops’ Support (August 25, 1887)
Bishop Turner in Error (April 26, 1888)
Bishop Turner’s Reply to Bishop Jones (May 17, 1888)
Paragraphically Noted (October 25, 1888)
Paragraphically Noted (November 15, 1888)
Paragraphically Noted (November 15, 1888)
Paragraphically Noted (November 22, 1888)
Paragraphically Noted (November 29, 1888)
Paragraphically Noted (December 6, 1888)
Paragraphically Noted (December 13, 1888)
Throes of Death of the AME Church (February 7, 1889)
Rev. C.M. Manning (February 14, 1889)
Bishop Hood and Dr. Smith (February 29, 1889)
Open Letter to the Rev. C.L. Bradwell (March 7, 1889)
Writes with Great Reluctance (November 1, 1889)
Bishop H.M. Turner to Mrs. Bishop Morris Brown’s Claimants (February 27, 1890)
Reply to Rev. T.G. Steward (March 20, 1890)
Bishop Turner’s Views: Open Letter to Hon. B.K. Bruce (March 27, 1890)
Notes of Recent Events (April 3, 1890)
Go to Africa Yourself (May 15, 1890)
Bishop Turner’s Trip East – Sights and Scenes (August 21, 1890)
Bishop Turner’s Second Trip East (September 4, 1890)
Colored When Looking for Office (July 12, 1891)
The Lion at bay (March 26, 1892)
Bishop Turner (April2 2, 1892)