Henry McNeal Turner was born on February 1, 1834, in what is now known as Hannah Circuit near Newberry, then part of Abbeville County, South Carolina. As a child, Turner was “bound out” to grueling labor in the cotton fields and blacksmith trade until the age of 12. Despite these hardships, he developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge and went on to become a prominent bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a Reconstruction-era politician, and a passionate advocate for African American civil rights and emigration to Africa.
© 2025 KnowThyHistory.com. Know Thy History
