African American Preachers and Politics: The Careys of Chicago

Dennis C. Dickerson

University Press of Mississippi, 2010 - History - 236 pages

"In this richly detailed history, Professor Dickerson outlines neglected, though clearly paradigmatic, early-twentieth century precedents to the black clergy activism that emerged during and after the civil rights movement. His excellent account of the public leadership of pioneering clergymen Archibald J. Carey Sr. and Archibald J. Carey Jr., along with his expert analysis of difficult religious and political trade-offs within their leadership approaches, provides valuable guidance for sorting out comparable tensions within twenty-first century American society."---R. Drew Smith, Director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and Director of Projects on Religion and Public Life at the Leadership Center at Morehouse College

"Professor Dickerson's African American Preachers and Politics brilliantly and successfully explores how the inheritots of the Reconstruction-Era tradition in which black ministers bridged the gap separating church and state matters functioned in twentieth century Chicago. Examining the lives and activities of the AME Church's father-and-son tandem of the dynamic Archibald J. Careys, who operated in rough-and-tumble Chicago, a more acute picture of the intricacies of the clergy's involvement in the public square becomes clear. Importantly, Dickerson notes that `headiness from the prestige and influence that came from their accomplishments may have blinded both father and son to the dangers that these involvements posed.' Never slaves to partisan politics, however, both men broke from the ranks of the Republicans when the interests of their people seemed either ignored or abandoned. This is must reading for those interested in northern, urban politics as well as those with an interest in the formation of Black Chicago, the model for effective political involvement."---Christopher Robert Reed, professor emeritus of history at Roosevelt University and author of The Chicago NAACP and the Rise of Black Professional Leadership, 1910-1966; All the World Is Here: Black Chicago's First Century, 1833-1900; and Black Chicago: The Emergence of a Black Metropolis, 1920-1929

About the author

Dennis C. Dickerson is James M. Lawson, Jr. Professor of History at Vanderbilt University. His previous books are Out of the Crucible: Black Steelworkers in Western Pennsylvania, 1875-1980 and Militant Mediator: Whitney M. Young Jr.

Bibliographic information

• Title: African American Preachers and Politics: The Careys of Chicago; Margaret Walker Alexander series in African American studies
• Author: Dennis C. Dickerson
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi, 2010
• ISBN: 1604734272, 9781604734270
• Length: 236 pages
• Subjects: History / United States / 20th Century; Religion / History; Religion / Religion, Politics & State; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies