46 Whole Number 227
vailed to the south in Spanish Florida, Cali-
fornia, and across today’s Texas-Arizona
border region, in Louisiana, and along the
then-imprecise Quebec/Lower Canada bor-
der.
Within the United States proper there was
the dominant Church of England / Angli-
can (later, Episcopalian) Church.
Anglicanism was the State Church in Vir-
ginia for Washington, Jefferson, and Madi-
son and was also the primary denomina-
tion for the Carolinas and Georgia.
After just 15 years of exclusion, 1634-49,
Maryland gave up its Catholics-only prin-
ciple for economic viability, and all Chris-
tian believers (but no others) were allowed.
The Anglican Church came to the ascen-
dancy and soon was supported by public
Figure 8 Privately conveyed 1841 letter to Widow Perses Butterfield
tax pounds and shillings. Recall that the
of Wilton ME from Milan, Ripley County IN, a long two month journey
National Cathedral in Washington DC,
back east (looks like a docketing of “9 Ma”). After mentioning health
straddling the Maryland-Virginia state line,
and crops, it matter of factly declares that “Abel and Jacob intends
is an Episcopalian edifice. mouving to the mormon settlement the coming season.” A nice
Eventually, Scotch-Irish immigrants pen-
contemporary reference to Joseph Smith’s town of Nauvoo IL (where
he will be murdered in 1844) from an eastern Indiana county 400
etrated the western Allegheny Mountains
miles away.
of Pennsylvania and spread down the Ap-
palachian valleys, bringing with their (Scottish) Pres-
It was the church-based General Court of Massachu-
byterian beliefs, “hillbilly” fiddles, and Elizabethan
setts that in 1647 ordered that common schools for
era square dancing.
the purpose of teaching religion and practical studies
Pennsylvania and Delaware was largely Quaker, a
be established in every township of fifty families, and
lively variant of the Anglican Church, noted and de-
a grammar school in each of the larger towns. Harsh
rided for the excited utterances of direct revelation
though the attitudes were at first in New England, this
during their ‘quaking’ meetings. German Lutherans,
was the beginning of the public school system in the
today’s ‘Penn Dutch’, were also found in abundance
United States.
along with minor groups adhering to the teachings of
Even Jews, the perennial whipping boy of Old and
Old Country founders like the Amish Anabaptists and
not so old Europe, found a refreshing change of atti-
the Mennonites. New York and New Jersey were pri-
tude in democratic America. The first synagogue was
marily Anglican too, except for the Dutch Reformed
established in Rhode Island by Spanish refugees, the
population who had preceded the English pre-1664.
technically Roman Catholic, but really unrepentant
In New England, religion was a mania from the start,
Jews (‘marranos’) as early as 1658, but in general,
and it was intolerant and controlling. As we all learned
they were sprinkled wherever German settlers landed.
early on, these people descend from Pilgrim Dissent-
Famed Jewish adherents toiled as patriots, helping to
ers against the Anglican Church (1620) and from Pu-
fight in and finance the Revolution. George Wash-
ritan Reformers (1630), of 1690s witch hunting fame.
ington was prompt to publicly thank Jewish co-patri-
Almost immediately, in 1636, Roger Williams and
ots for their support during the Revolution and ac-
Anne Hutchinson were censored and expelled from
knowledge they were free from harm.
Boston for preaching their personal view of religion.
Many, after they came to America as Orthodox Jews,
They went on to found the freedom of speech and
and following the Civil War, underwent American-
religion colony of Rhode Island.
ization as did other religions. The result were the
Conservative and later Reform denominations.
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