= new reply since forum marked as read
The largest single Baptist denomination is the Southern Baptist Convention, who are VERY conservative (Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are Southern Baptists, e.g.). There are also Freewill Baptists (conservative, but not reactionary), Primitive Baptists (pacificists without ordained clergy), General Baptists (moderates), etc. .
American Baptists are the proud descendants of the 'northern' Baptists, who split from their southern brothers and sisters over the issue of slavery in the late 1840's. They, the Quakers and the Congregationalist churches provided a majority of the funding and 'stations' for the Underground Railroad.
American Baptists first accepted women as 'fully equal' within the church shortly after the Civil War ended, ordaining women as pastors and entitling them to hold any office within a congregation, i.e., deacon, trustee, moderator, etc. . The first nfemale U.S. military chaplain to attain the rank of General was an American Baptist.
In short, we are 'progressive' in every sense of that word.