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Early Years of the Church
In 1835, Alvin established the first branch of what he called the "American Church." A Church that emphasized peace, freedom, and independence from slavery. The first members of the church included many a man including Abraham Lincoln, who became the first member to hold elected office when he was elected to an Illinois House district.

Reactions to the new church in the South were those of many negatives. The "Abolitionist Cult" found itself condemned by the Southern states as many of them felt like the Church was a threat to their power. The Church however spread throughout the North, even if ministers in places like Massachusetts felt like this "cult of Kempis" was a threat to America's union.

However one area in which the Church became popular was introducing immigrants. Especially as a famine began ravaging through Ireland in 1845. Many Irish immigrants had been introduced to this new church on the docks. Within days many of these immigrants had gone from having no future to being members of the American Church with a new outlook on life. Two of these immigrants were Patrick Kennedy and Bridget Murphy.

Similarly the Revolutions of 1848 provided more opportunities for more immigrants. Michael Johann Heidler and Karl Trump were among the many immigrants who arrived and became members of the American church.

The American Church found itself relying on immigrants that converted for funds, souls, and to help the camp revivals that were spreading faster and faster. Camp revivals even reached into the Southern United States, despite plantation owners' best efforts. There a young woman named Araminta converted and took on the name Harriet Tubman.

The rise of the American Church helped contribute to the rise of Sectionalism in the US. This rise of sectionalism would come to a head in Kansas Territory in the 1850s.

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