Led by former slaves Richard Allen and Absalom Jones (1746–1818) in 1787, blacks withdrew from St. George's Methodist Church (Philadelphia) where they were segregated. They founded FAS, “perhaps the first autonomous organization of free blacks in the United States.”

The society gained supporters among white Quakers, Methodists, and abolitionists. It worshiped in a storehouse and later at a Quaker-sponsored Free African School. FAS opposed African colonization, aided the poor, and practiced self-help. When it pursued a denominational affiliation, Allen advocated Methodism. But a majority of the members, led by Jones, chose the Episcopal Church. Allen departed; he established Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church (1794) and cofounded the AME denomination (1816).