{"id":41860,"date":"2022-02-08T14:15:47","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T20:15:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?p=41860"},"modified":"2022-02-08T09:25:42","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T15:25:42","slug":"floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Floating Freedom School\u2019: Historic black pastor leaves legacy of liberty, education in Missouri"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. LOUIS \u2013<\/b> When in 1847 the Missouri legislature passed an act forbidding \u201cthe instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing\u201d within the state, one Baptist pastor was determined to do something about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

That pastor, John Berry Meachum, was himself born into slavery in Virginia on May 3, 1789, only two months after the United States Congress first convened under the new Constitution and only four days after George Washington was inaugurated as the nation\u2019s first president.<\/span><\/p>\n

In time, Meachum followed his master, Paul Meachum, to North Carolina and Kentucky. Then, with his aging master\u2019s permission, he purchased his freedom by working in saltpeter mines.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Meachum wasn\u2019t content with his own freedom alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStill I was not satisfied,\u201d Meachum wrote in 1846, \u201cfor I had left my father in old Virginia, and he was a slave. It seemed to me, at times, though I was seven hundred miles from him, that I held conversation with him, for he was near my heart. However this did not stop here, for industry will do a great deal. In a short time I went to Virginia, and bought my father, and paid one hundred pounds for him, Virginia money. It was a joyful meeting when we met together, for we had been apart a long time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

ST. LOUIS \u2013 Deborah Hopkinson wrote this children\u2019s book, Steamboat School<\/em>, inspired by the true story of the historic black St. Louis Baptist pastor, John Berry Meachum.<\/p><\/div>\n

But Meachum\u2019s father, who was also a Baptist pastor, knew his son needed something more than a joyful greeting. He needed to hear the gospel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c(My father) turned to me and said, \u2018You are yet in your sins,\u2019\u201d Meachum recounted. \u201cHis words went to my heart, and I began to pray and seek the Lord. Four weeks from that day I found peace in believing upon the Lord Jesus, related my experience to the church, and was baptized. \u2026 This was the year 1811, when I was about twenty-one years old.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Afterward, Meachum and his father returned to Kentucky, where his mother and her other children lived. Soon, they too found liberty and eventually settled together in Indiana.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Meachum\u2019s wife, Mary, was still a slave and was taken by her master to St. Louis.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI followed her, arriving there in 1815, with three dollars in my pocket,\u201d Meachum recalled.<\/span><\/p>\n

Working as a carpenter and cooper, he then purchased the freedom of his wife and children. By 1846, he purchased the freedom of nearly 20 other slaves, as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

In St. Louis, Meachum also came into contact with the Baptist missionary to Missouri, James Mason Peck, whose congregation included both black and white members. Soon, Meachum began preaching and was ordained for the ministry in 1825.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meachum then became pastor of a newly formed black congregation, the First African Baptist Church of St. Louis. It was the first Protestant church for African Americans founded in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Dennis Hahn, writing for the Missouri Baptist Convention\u2019s Historical Commission in 2017, Meachum\u2019s church \u201cstarted with 14 members and quickly grew to nearly 500 members by the mid-1840\u2019s. … (The church) had a major impact in the establishment of more Baptist churches in St. Louis and Missouri. The church was responsible for the education of hundreds of slaves and freemen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMeachum,\u201d Hahn added, \u201cwas able to preach in the church and continue to run small businesses that helped many slaves earn their freedom as they accumulated wealth and work experience. As Meachum gained wealth, he was able to provide a home to those arriving in St. Louis via the \u2018Underground Railroad,\u2019 which in turn added members\u201d to the church. These new members also gained opportunities to learn.<\/span><\/p>\n

So Meachum wasn\u2019t merely a pastor. He was also a teacher \u2013 that is, until the Missouri legislature\u2019s 1847 act forced him to close his school in St. Louis.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, with the creativity and industry that had characterized his life up to this point, he soon found a way to educate the people he loved so dearly: He started a school on a steam boat in the middle of the Mississippi River, outside the bounds of the state. He named it the \u201cFloating Freedom School.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Meachum died a short time later, in 1854.<\/span><\/p>\n

But his widow, Mary, continued his legacy \u2013 especially his legacy of finding freedom for slaves. In May 1855, she was arrested while helping five runaway slaves cross the Mississippi River.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHer home was declared a depot on the Underground Railroad,\u201d author Deborah Hopkinson writes in her children\u2019s book, Steamboat School<\/i>, inspired by the legacy of the Meachums. \u201cIn 2001, the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing became the first site in Missouri to be recognized as part of the National Park Service\u2019s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When in 1847 the Missouri legislature passed an act forbidding \u201cthe instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing\u201d within the state, one Baptist pastor was determined to do something about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":41861,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[177,41,17,293],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Floating Freedom School\u2019: Historic black pastor leaves legacy of liberty, education in Missouri<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When in 1847 the Missouri legislature passed an act forbidding \u201cthe instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing\u201d within the state, one Baptist pastor was determined to do something about it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Floating Freedom School\u2019: Historic black pastor leaves legacy of liberty, education in Missouri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When in 1847 the Missouri legislature passed an act forbidding \u201cthe instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing\u201d within the state, one Baptist pastor was determined to do something about it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pathway\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/mbcpathway\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-08T20:15:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-02-08T15:25:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Black-History-Month.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1275\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Benjamin Hawkins\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mbcpathway\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mbcpathway\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Benjamin Hawkins\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018Floating Freedom School\u2019: Historic black pastor leaves legacy of liberty, education in Missouri\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Black-History-Month.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-08T20:15:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-02-08T15:25:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ab6fdc0c1a067bbccb9f4e5d3bc0b4d\"},\"description\":\"When in 1847 the Missouri legislature passed an act forbidding \u201cthe instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing\u201d within the state, one Baptist pastor was determined to do something about it.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Black-History-Month.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Black-History-Month.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":791},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018Floating Freedom School\u2019: Historic black pastor leaves legacy of liberty, education in Missouri\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/\",\"name\":\"Pathway\",\"description\":\"Baptist & Christian News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ab6fdc0c1a067bbccb9f4e5d3bc0b4d\",\"name\":\"Benjamin Hawkins\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/177270e223a386ae94fe0e2affbdb233?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/177270e223a386ae94fe0e2affbdb233?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Benjamin Hawkins\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/author\/benjamin-hawkins\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018Floating Freedom School\u2019: Historic black pastor leaves legacy of liberty, education in Missouri","description":"When in 1847 the Missouri legislature passed an act forbidding \u201cthe instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing\u201d within the state, one Baptist pastor was determined to do something about it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018Floating Freedom School\u2019: Historic black pastor leaves legacy of liberty, education in Missouri","og_description":"When in 1847 the Missouri legislature passed an act forbidding \u201cthe instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing\u201d within the state, one Baptist pastor was determined to do something about it.","og_url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/","og_site_name":"Pathway","article_publisher":"http:\/\/facebook.com\/mbcpathway","article_published_time":"2022-02-08T20:15:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-02-08T15:25:42+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1650,"height":1275,"url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Black-History-Month.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Benjamin Hawkins","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@mbcpathway","twitter_site":"@mbcpathway","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Benjamin Hawkins","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/","url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/","name":"\u2018Floating Freedom School\u2019: Historic black pastor leaves legacy of liberty, education in Missouri","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Black-History-Month.jpg","datePublished":"2022-02-08T20:15:47+00:00","dateModified":"2022-02-08T15:25:42+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ab6fdc0c1a067bbccb9f4e5d3bc0b4d"},"description":"When in 1847 the Missouri legislature passed an act forbidding \u201cthe instruction of negroes or mulattoes, in reading or writing\u201d within the state, one Baptist pastor was determined to do something about it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Black-History-Month.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Black-History-Month.jpg","width":1024,"height":791},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2022\/02\/08\/floating-freedom-school-historic-black-pastor-leaves-legacy-of-liberty-education-in-missouri\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018Floating Freedom School\u2019: Historic black pastor leaves legacy of liberty, education in Missouri"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/","name":"Pathway","description":"Baptist & Christian News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ab6fdc0c1a067bbccb9f4e5d3bc0b4d","name":"Benjamin Hawkins","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/177270e223a386ae94fe0e2affbdb233?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/177270e223a386ae94fe0e2affbdb233?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Benjamin Hawkins"},"url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/author\/benjamin-hawkins\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41860"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41860"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41864,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41860\/revisions\/41864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41861"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}