prevailed. In the Carolinas less persecution took place, and in South Carolina the Dissenters were in the majority. The Church. of England was established in New York and New Jersey, but in the latter there was no religious persecution. In these colonies there were many religious sects, the Dutch Reformed, the Dutch Lutheran, and the Presbyterian being the leading denominations. Puritans going to Church. The Episcopal service was not permitted in New England until the time of Andros (¶ 190), and during the eighteenth century this church made few gains among the Puritans of Massachusetts and Connecticut. 180. The Puritans. The early settlers of New England fled from religious persecution in England to establish Puritan churches. At first, town and church in Massachusetts were identical, and for many years only members of Puritan churches were allowed to vote. It was natural that there should be a very marked religious feeling, and that religious matters should predominate throughout the colony. The Puritans were very intolerant, not allowing any other form of worship, though this feeling grew weaker as time went on. They were especially opposed to the introduction of the Episcopal ritual, as they feared that England might force that church service upon them. The Puritans, or Congregationalists, formed a large majority of the population of New England, even up to the Revolution, though they were not numerous in the other colonies. At times they obtained some power in South Carolina and Maryland, and were quite prominent in New Jersey, but their stronghold was in the New England colonies. 181. Roger Williams. - Endicott had scarcely become settled at Salem (158) when he sent back to England two brothers by the name of Browne, because they objected to the omission of the Prayer-book from the service of the Salem church. Mrs. Anne Hutchinson was driven from Massachusetts Bay because the Puritans deemed the doctrines which she preached dangerous (167). The most noted example of the persecution of a single individual was that of Roger Williams (¶ 66). He went to Salem in 1631, and, after preaching a short time in the First Church, was chosen pastor at Plymouth. Returning to Salem in 1634, he soon incurred the enmity of the leaders of the colony on account of the radical views which he preached from the Salem pulpit. He believed in separating church and state and in allowing perfect religious liberty. He denied the right of the colonists to the land, since they had not purchased it from the Indians. Through his influence Endicott cut the cross from the royal ensign, thinking it a symbol of Roman Catholicism. He became feared both for religious and political reasons, and in January, 1636, orders were issued that he be carried back to England. Fleeing into the wilderness, he spent many weeks among the Indians before he landed at Providence and founded the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. 182. The Quakers.- The peculiar views of the Friends, popularly called Quakers, were sufficient to set the Puritans against them. But there were a few who called themselves Friends who went to such extremes that they brought against the whole denomination a prejudice which the mass of the Quakers did not deserve. Massachusetts took the lead in persecuting these people, and their cruel treatment has always been a blot upon her fair fame. The first to arrive were two women from Barbadoes who were put in prison, and their books publicly burned. They were sent back, but immediately eight more arrived from England. The four colonies belonging to the New England Union (¶ 189) passed laws banishing all Quakers and threatening severe punishment if any should return. The poor Quakers, earnest in their faith, persisted in returning, and were flogged, imprisoned, had their ears cut off, and their tongues burned with a hot iron. At last Massachusetts passed a law that returning Quakers should be put to death, and three persons were hanged on Boston Common. In 1660 the death penalty was repealed, and persecution grew less and less. Times had changed when in 1789 a Quaker, chairman of the board of selectmen, welcomed President Washington to Salem. 183. Religious Freedom. While there was a great difference among the colonies in regard to religious persecution, in but three could it be said that religious toleration existed. Roger Williams fled from the persecution of the Puritans to found a colony wherein every person was allowed perfect religious freedom. The Baptists became the most numerous sect in Rhode Island, but they had no special political power. In Penn's Frame of Government, it was enacted that there should be religious liberty in Pennsylvania, and this colony, as well as Rhode Island, came to be an asylum for those persecuted for religion's sake. The only Roman Catholic colony was Maryland, and here there was no persecution as long as the Catholics were in power. When William and Mary came to the throne in 1688, the Church of England was established, and religious freedom in Maryland came to an end. 184. Superstition. Throughout all ages and in all countries. belief in some form of evil spirits has accompanied belief in God. An almost universal fear of witches and witchcraft was associated even with the Christian faith. Throughout all European nations, so-called witches were executed; and in England in one year one hundred and twenty were put to death on charges of witchcraft. Among the colonies, here and there, persons were accused of being in league with the Devil, and punishment was inflicted upon a few. In 1692 an "epidemic of superstitious fear" occurred in Massachusetts, beginning in Salem Village, or what is now called Danvers. Children witnessed against many persons throughout the county, and before the craze was over twenty persons unjustly lost their lives. The next year, the people began to recover their senses, and in May, 1693, the jail doors were opened and all the prisoners accused of witchcraft were set free. This jail delivery marked the beginning of a better day. |