The story of Amanda Berry Smith (1837–1915) is one of the most remarkable odysseys in American religious history. Born into slavery in Long Green, Maryland, she rose to become a world-renowned Methodist evangelist, a pioneer in the Holiness movement, and a compassionate social reformer.
Her life serves as a testament to the power of faith to transcend the barriers of race, gender, and poverty in the 19th century.
Who Was Amanda Smith?
Amanda was born to enslaved parents, Samuel Berry and Miriam Matthews.
Despite having less than four months of formal schooling, Amanda taught herself to read by cutting letters out of newspapers.
She outlived two husbands (her first died in the Civil War).
She suffered the heartbreaking loss of four of her five children.
She worked for years as a washerwoman and cook to support her surviving daughter, Mazie.
It was amidst this grief that Amanda found her calling. In 1868, she experienced what she described as "entire sanctification," a spiritual turning point that launched her career as an itinerant preacher.
Church Theology and the Holiness Movement
Amanda Smith was a leading voice in the Wesleyan-Holiness movement.
Entire Sanctification: She preached the doctrine that a believer could be "cleansed from all sin" through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, leading to a life of perfect love and devotion to God.
Social Holiness: Unlike some who focused purely on the internal soul, Smith believed faith required action. This led her to be a staunch advocate for the Temperance movement and the education of women and children.
Universal Gospel: Though she faced resistance from those who believed women should not preach—particularly within some sectors of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church—she maintained that her "ordination" came directly from God.
She drew massive crowds of both Black and white listeners, effectively bridging racial divides through her powerful contralto singing voice and plainspoken, "Quaker-like" preaching style.
A Global Legacy
Amanda Smith didn't just preach in American camp meetings; she became the first African American woman to work as an international evangelist.
England & Scotland: She spent two years preaching at major holiness conventions.
India: She spent 18 months traveling and preaching with Bishop James Thoburn.
West Africa (Liberia & Sierra Leone): She served as a missionary for eight years, often battling "African Fever" (malaria) while establishing schools and temperance societies.
Upon her return to the U.S., she used the proceeds from her
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