The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, founded in 1794, began as a movement to allow Americans of African descent to practice religion free from racial tension; because the traditional Methodist Church was fraught with racism and class distinctions, AME established itself as an independent congregation that was doctrinally Methodist but also advocated a simple Gospel in which "God is God all the time and for everybody."
Because AME seeks to allow all people to engage with and be moved by religion in their everyday lives, it emphasizes purity of Gospel and accessibility of service; it is this emphasis that allows the AME its close relationship to gospel music.
American gospel music emerged as a form of popular sacred music, particularly in slave communities, toward the end of the 19th century. Its goal has always been to exist in close relationship to the Gospels of the New Testament, and so has traditionally been highly content-driven rather than structural.
Gospel arose out of conditions of extreme racial inequality in America, making a distinct break from white religious culture. Slaves could interpret the Christian ideas being taught by the white church within the context of their own cultural practice.
Because gospel music allowed a distinctly independent version of Christian worship for blacks, it remains an important tool for AME churches. The pure aesthetic appeal also allowed for the spread of AME's doctrine throughout the 20th century.