Black Revolutionaries & ‘Self-Made Men’

One such figure was Paul Cuffee, a Quaker merchant and sea captain who delivered supplies to American soldiers during the Revolutionary War. An abolitionist leader, Cuffee later helped found the African colony of Sierra Leone. His life reflected a commitment to both enterprise and moral responsibility, shaped by his religious convictions.

John Marrant offers another example. After hearing the Great Awakening preacher George Whitefield, Marrant came to the Christian faith and eventually became a missionary to the Cherokee Indians. During the Revolutionary War he was captured and forced into service in the British navy. Afterward, he preached in England and Nova Scotia, carrying his faith across cultural and national boundaries.

Frederick Douglass remains one of the most well-known figures in American history, and his life illustrates the deep connection between faith, labor, and moral vision. Douglass escaped slavery, became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and served as an advisor to President Lincoln. He was later appointed Recorder of Deeds by President James Garfield. Douglass often spoke openly about the role of faith in shaping his understanding of the world. Reflecting on his conversion, he wrote:

My religious nature was awakened by the preaching of a white Methodist minister, named Hanson. He thought that all men, great and small, bond and free, were sinners in the sight of God; that they were, by nature, rebels against His government; and that they must repent of their sins, and be reconciled to God, through Christ. I cannot say that I had a very distinct notion of what was required of me; but one thing I knew very well—I was wretched, and had no means of making myself otherwise. Moreover, I knew that I could pray for light. I consulted a good colored man, named Charles Johnson; and, in tones of holy affection, he told me to pray, and what to pray for. I was, for weeks, a poor, brokenhearted mourner, traveling through the darkness and misery of doubts and fears. I finally found that change of heart which comes by “casting all one’s care” upon God, and by having faith in Jesus Christ, as the Redeemer, Friend, and Savior of those who diligently seek Him.

After this, I saw the world in a new light. I seemed to live in a new world, surrounded by new objects, and to be animated by new hopes and desires. I loved all mankind—slaveholders not excepted; though I abhorred slavery more than ever.

For Douglass, faith sharpened moral clarity rather than softening it. His opposition to slavery grew stronger, even as his view of humanity widened.

Douglass also rejected the idea that success came by chance or favor. In one of his most famous speeches, which he gave dozens of times throughout his career, he praised what he called “self-made men,” describing them as those who owed little to birth, wealth, or circumstance. “My theory of self-made men is, then, simply this: that they are men of work,” he argued. “Whether or not such men have acquired material, moral, or intellectual excellence, honest labor faithfully, steadily, and persistently pursued is the best, if not the only, explanation of their success.” His words reflected a belief that dignity was found in work itself, even when society denied recognition.

Black Faith Leaders’ Impact Throughout American History

Religious leadership also played a central role in Black history. George Liele, once enslaved, came to faith during the Great Awakening. His preaching was so compelling that his owner granted him freedom. In 1773, Liele organized one of the earliest Black congregations in America, the Silver Bluff Baptist Church in South Carolina. He later became the first missionary sent from America, preaching in Jamaica and converting thousands.

Liele’s ministry influenced Andrew Bryant, another enslaved man who came to faith and began preaching in his owner’s barn in Savannah. After gaining his freedom, Bryant’s congregation grew to hundreds of members and became the First African Baptist Church.

Richard Allen followed a similar path. Enslaved as a young man, Allen came to faith during the Great Awakening. His owner allowed him to attend Methodist meetings, where Allen resolved to work diligently to demonstrate that Christianity cultivated responsibility rather than idleness. After hearing a sermon declaring that slaveholders would be weighed in the balance on the Day of Judgment, Allen’s owner freed him. Allen went on to found the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, establishing an institution that emphasized worship, education, and moral formation. Under his leadership, the church grew rapidly and sent missionaries across the Atlantic.

Booker T. Washington carried these themes into the modern era. As the first Black president of a university, Washington emphasized service, humility, and moral character. He often reminded audiences that in the sight of God there is no color line and urged people to lift others as they sought to rise themselves. “Remember that the only way to show ourselves superior to others is to excel them in kindlier impulses and more generous deeds,” he wrote.

At Tuskegee Institute, Washington invited George Washington Carver to teach. Carver, a man of deep faith, wrote that he wanted to earn his living through work and expressed gratitude for humanity without regard to complexion.

Taken together, these lives reveal why Black History Month emerged as more than a ceremonial observance. It developed from a recognition that history forms conscience, that memory shapes character, and that faith sustained many who labored under extraordinary hardship.

Black History Month invites reflection on this inheritance. It calls attention to men and women who understood work as meaningful, leadership as service, and faith as a source of endurance. Remembering their lives helps preserve the moral memory that Carter Woodson believed was essential to human dignity and to the flourishing of a people.