Cailin Counihan

AAFS 341
Paper 5
03/03/2022
The Fight for Faith in the South

In the chapter Slave Conversion on the Carolina Frontier a faith leadership official

Francis Le Jau wrote several entries to himself discussing the work he was doing at his church.

He spoke of converting several African America slaves into his congregation and having them

baptized. In doing so, he forced them to change their customs and throw aside their historical

traditions. If they practiced polygamy, they had to condemn that in exchange for monogamy. If a

cultural festivity was occurring on a Sunday, they could no longer attend. In doing this Le Jau

was removing their African and African American identities through religious assimilation. It is

also stated that Le Jau was an advocate for assimilation, not for the betterment of the African

American slaves or for improving their quality of life, but as a means of social control. It is a

service to them only as long as it’s a service to the white man. He also advocates against

allowing black and Native American children from being taught to read and write with the white

students at the church. This shows how he only cared about the souls of his black congregates in

as far as they still remained “inferior” in his eyes.

In the same way that Muslim Africans and African Americans used their ability to read

and write to their advantage by exploiting the interests of the slaveowners, members of the

Catholic faith used the desire for faith to appeal to slaves after having lost their Holy Book and

being persecuted for worshipping. This was a main contributor to the loss of many traditions and

practices although many African Americans integrated customs into their new life.

The pressure towards conversion only further utilizes the unique struggle that burdened

and resultingly shaped black faith. It has contributed to the wide variations in practice along the
six polarities as well as remaining most integral to many African American lives even to this

day.