Originally published: Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, c1990, in series: Cambridge studies in religion and American public life. With new introd.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-213) and index.
Contents
Chapters: The creation of religious liberty in early Pennsylvania -- Pacifism and religious liberty -- The clergy and religious liberty -- Religious liberty in the revolution -- Religious liberty and the Republic -- Politicians debate religious liberty -- The churches and religious liberty -- The legal implications of religious liberty -- Religious liberty and the Catholic and Jewish minorities.
Summary
Using a wide variety of sources-legal documents, church records, sermons, political tracts, diaries, newspapers, and government records-this book traces Pennsylvania's distinctive religious and political development, how it has influenced the nation and how, in turn, the nation has impacted upon it. The book covers the ongoing discussions about pacifism, rights for Jews and blacks, prayer in public schools, Sunday legislation, and other religious topics from William Penn's time through to World War II. It demonstrates how Pennsylvania developed a tradition of actively promoting religion that, after World War II, resulted in U.S. Supreme Court rulings that cited the state for violations of First Amendment rights. [from the publisher]
"Penn stood for both civil and religious liberty. The Quakers' battles among themselves and with the Church of England also broke down restrictions. Friends learned to accept limitations on their power and Anglicans came to accept a minority status. By the 1720s both denominations agreed to live with each other, to cooperate on certain issues, and to assert their differences in the context of a broader agreement on the function of religious values within the society. The British government, paranoid over Roman Catholics, but sympathetic to Anglican and Quaker pressures, also helped foster thepattern of Protestant freedoms by balancing the demandsof both groups. Finally, least important in the creation of toleration but of great ultimate significance in preserving such liberty, was the bewildering variety of religious sects and churches which populated eighteenth century Pennsylvania. Attracted by toleration and enthusiastic about freedom, the laity created churches which enforcedmoral standards, trumpeted distinctive doctrines and practices, and rejoiced in the conditions of civil and religious liberty." [from the author]
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. Volume 105, number 4 (October 1981), p. 419-451Lancaster History Library - Periodical Article905.748 HSP v.105
