It is said that great character comes from the inside of a person and not the outside; that good people can be found in any race, color, gender and creed. Such is true in the case of Amanda Smith, a pioneer in evangelism and servitude during the late 19th century. Smith’s genuine character proved that goodness could transcend color, gender and tragic experience.
Amanda Smith was born into slavery on January 23, 1837 in a rural town in Maryland. She spent the majority of the adolescent and adult years, however, in York, Pennsylvania, joining the family there after her father had purchased their freedom. Smith's early education was at home, and by her late adolescence, she had found a place within the slave hierarchy that suited her; she worked in the house as a domestic servant.
AFter the loss of her first husband in the Civil War, Smith married again to a man named James. It was this husband that introduced her to evangelical religion, and Amanda Smith began preaching in local churches. After the tragic death of her husband and children in 1869, she turned to evangelism full time. Ms. Smith travelled over the east coast primarily, then in 1878, she journeyed to Great Britain, where she preached in holiness meetings and was instrumental in the founding of the church of the Salvation Army, a religious sect that focuses on doing good for their fellow man.
As Smith’s time in Great Britain came to a close, she looked forward to evangelizing and ministering around the globe. A fellow missionary introduced her to the plight of the people of India, and Smith travelled there to evangelize and minister to the Indian people. She worked closely with those who provided material comforts to others, preaching as she went. During this time, Smith also spent time in West Africa and the Middle East, concentrating her efforts in Liberia and Sierra Leone. She was known as a merciful missionary and a great preacher.
In 1890, Smith returned to the United States. She went into a semi-retirement, still travelling the east coast to preach at small churches. She also traveled to Chicago and became an event organizer for African American women. In 1893, Amanda Smith published her autobiography, detailing her early life as a slave and documenting her travels. It sold successfully, and Smith was able to use those funds to open an orphanage for young African American girls in the state of Illinois, in the year 1899. She continued singing and preaching until her death in 1915. The state of Illinois eventually took over the orphanage, characterizing it as the “Amanda Smith Industrial School for Girls.” Tragically, the school was destroyed by fire three years after Smith’s death. (“Amanda Smith: Missionary with a Quest,” 2000)
One thing that strikes me the most about Mrs. Smith’s story is that despite her humble upbringing and the tragic circumstances of her life, she was still able to do good. Her life was not devoid of grief. She was born into an institution that denied her the freedom to make her own economic choices and devalued her humanity. This could have led to bitterness and rage, but it did not. Instead, Mrs. Smith chose to spend her time valuing others and serving them, even though she herself had been devalued as a slave. Smith was also abandoned by her parents. Her father bought freedom for the entire family - her mother and her sisters - but did not buy freedom for Amanda. This may explain her later affinity for taking care of orphans, as she must have felt abandoned by her parents in her formative years. Despite this, she still lobbied to take care of those who could not take care of themselves.
It is also interesting that despite being a woman of color - a person who in the society of that day, would have had little social capital - that Mrs. Smith was apparently a respected preacher and minister to all, including powerful white men. Written in the prologue to her memoirs is the following quote: “his penetrating power of discernment which she possesses in so large a degree impressed me more and more the longer I knew her. Profound scholars and religious teachers of philosophical bent seemed positively inferior to her in the task of discovering the practical value of men and systems which had attracted the attention of the world!” (Smith, 1893) Written by the Bishop Thoburn during Smith’s time in India, this makes it apparent that her preaching was valued not only by the colored and the women of her day, but that there was also value found by themen to whom she ministered.
Works Cited
"Amanda Smith, missionary with a quest." Amanda Smith, missionary with a quest | African American Registry. N.p., 2000. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.
Smith, Amanda. Mrs. Amanda Smith. Noblesville, IN: Newby Book Room, 1893. Print.
