Charles Albert Tindley

Charles Albert Tindley was born a slave in the state of Maryland in 1851. At the age of 5 he witnessed his mother receive a severe whipping by their owner. She died while being held in his small arms. His father was sold and he never saw his father again. Tindley had never learned to read. It was forbidden for a slave to know how to read. Around the age of 14 he was emancipated. When asked what he would like to do, he answered; "I would like to go to Church." Someone then asked him: "Of all the places you can go; you want to go to Church"? Someone gave him a Bible. He thanked them, but told them he could not read. Some say he taught himself how to read. Others say some Church ladies taught him how to read. As time went on; Tindley had a life changing experience with God. By the age of 17, he knew how to read and write. He was a driven young man. He worked as a janitor while attending night school in order to earn his divinity degree through a correspondence course. In 1902, he became Pastor of the Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Penn., the Church where he had earlier been the janitor. At the time of Tindley's death, that Church had 12,500 members. It was the largest Church on the East Coast. During his lifetime, Tindley wrote over 70 hymns. "I'll Overcome Some Day" is the basis for the American Civil rights Anthem: "We Shall Overcome," that was popular during the decade of the 60s. I am of the opinion that this former slave and child of slaves became a great man. His biography should be on the list as one of the options of required reading for every secondary school student in the United States. Look at his life. Look at what he had to overcome.