Puritanism and Anglicanism
Before beginning any discussion of the roles played by Anglicanismand Puritanism in the colonial period of the United States, two things mustbe made clear. First, Anglicanism refers to the American practice of thereligion known as Church of England in England, and eventually called theEpiscopal Church in the U.S. On the other hand, Puritanism not acontinuation of the Church of England, but rather a radical departure fromThe Puritans thought the Church of England had strayed too far from theways of the Bible. Puritanism was less than 100 years old when, by 1620,more than 35 Puritan congregations existed in New England (Columbia 2004). In the New England colonies, nonetheless, Puritan "Ministers had greatpolitical influence, and civil authorities exercised a large measure ofcontrol over church affairs" (Columbia 2004). The Anglican Church, and the Church of England from which it arose,was in turn a successor to the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church,having come into being as a separate church when Great Britain's King HenryVIII disagreed with the Pope over the issue of remarriage, to simplify thematter. As early as 1606, the first Virginia charter, issued by Ja
The othercolonies participating in the Puritan method were New Hampshire,Connecticut, and Vermont. Neither church nor state was allowed to control the other"(McConnell 2003). While the laws made by the Anglican Church in Virginia can be tracedto the expectations of the Church of England without the controllingeffects of a royal house and extensive parliamentary processes centuriesold, Puritanism substituted "a localized establishment based on thereligious convictions of majorities in the various towns" (McConnell 2003). The Puritans, as an opposition group to the order in their nativeland, England, were more intolerant and coercive, as opposition groups tendto be. DuringEngland's Puritan Ascendancy, which was during the Commonwealth period inVirginia, Virginia leaders sent messages of allegiance to Charles II, sonof the executed king, Charles I. Because of that, the Puritans ofNew England were forced by the mother country to grant toleration to otherdenominations outside the Puritan fold before the Anglicans of Virginiawere forced to do so. This was very different from the status of the 'state' religion inVirginia. Indeed, as McConnell (2003) points out, Anglicanismwas one of the first groups to whom the Puritans granted toleration,although the gesture was not reciprocated for a long time. ThePilgrims, according to McConnell, thought the problems in the Church ofEngland were not capable of rectification, and sought to simply live intheir own version of an ideal community; the Puritans, on the other hand,were more liberal and believed the Church could be remedied, and that theywere the ones to do it (2003). ) Virginia authorities promulgatedlaws mandating uniformity of religion as close to that of the Church ofEngland as possible. Among other thing, vestrymen of the church could bringmisdemeanor charges for swearing, Sabbath-breaking, skipping church,slandering, "backbiting," or committing the "foule and abominable sins ofdrunkennes (sic), fornication and adultery" (McConnell 2003). This planted Anglicanism at least asfirmly in Virginia as Puritanism was planted in New England, except forRhode Island where Roger Smith led yet another group of dissenters from theold orthodoxy. In addition to the Massachusetts Bay Companysettlers, other settlers adopted a similar desire to make a new Christiancommonwealth along what they understood to be Biblical lines. Other Anglican church legislation dealt with the effect of baptism onslave status, deciding it had none (McConnell 2003); this seems ameaningful intrusion into matter that might be regarded, today, asgovernmental affairs. Other laws provided for financialsupport for the ministry, dictated the content of religious teaching andworship and "vested certain civil functions in church officials" as well asprohibiting exercise of religion outside the established church, that is,the Anglican church.
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Acceptance Essays
