This dissertation examines writings about and representations of African American religion from the late l9th century to the early 20th century. Social scientific works, historical monographs and essays on the Negro problem, academic journals, periodical literature, and African American newspapers are all examined in an attempt to understand the intersection of the construction of African American religion and various proposals for the solution of the Negro Question. Solutions varied considerably from the extreme of white interpreters proposing lynching as a cure for the problem of “emotional excesses” in Negro religion to those of black leaders who wanted to make the religion of the black masses less “other-worldly.” Studies of black religion were at the heart of the normative discourse of good and bad religion at the turn of the 20th century, with black religion as the chief example of bad religion. These interpretations of black religion and culture played a crucial role in shaping broader perceptions of black people and had real life consequences for the lives of black Americans. The burden of black religion was thus multifaceted: it was a burden imposed by outsiders (black and white) who idealized or criticized features of black religion that appealed to or offended their own conceptions of good religion. It was therefore asked to assume a heavy load because of the limited options that blacks had in other areas of American society. But it was also seen as a vehicle through which blacks could be united, uplifted, and represented (favorably) to the larger public. This work also attempts to destabilize the notion of the Black Church by pointing to its genealogy, the fissures in the black community, and the varied social forces that led to the creation of the Black Church.