We've all seen their bright red buckets outside of malls and grocery stores, heard the ringing of their bells as they ask us to give to the poor and unfortunate during the Christmas season. But few of us have probably ever stopped to consider the history of the Salvation Army and how this originally English charitable group made its way to the United States. This paper examines the history of the organization, which is an international religious and charitable organization dedicated to the propagation of the Christian faith and to the furnishing of various forms of assistance to persons in need of spiritual solace and material aid, focussing on the development of the Salvation Army in the United States.
Originally founded as the Christian Mission, with the aim of carrying on evangelical and social-welfare work among the inhabitants of the slum areas of London, the Salvation Army now has a worldwide presence. The mission rapidly expanded its activities; in 1878 it was reorganized along its present quasi-military lines and was renamed the Salvation Army and the officers and members of the organization were given military ranks and titles in accordance with their duties. The organization was later organized into territories, each of which had jurisdiction over a specified country or other major geographical area. Its current structure will be discussed in greater detail below.
Early History of the Organization in England
The army has its origins in England, and before one can look at its work in the United States this earlier history must be considered. It was founded in 1865 in London by the English Methodist minister William Booth. At the age of 13 he was sent to work as an apprentice in a pawnbroker's shop to help support his mother and his sisters, an experience that made him aware of the poverty in which so many people lived and how they suffered humiliation and degradation because of it. During his teenage years he became a...