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7/30/2019 The Baptist Struggle for Religious Freedom in America
1/17
THE BAPTISTSTRUGGLEFOR
RELIGIOUSFREEDOMIN AMERICA
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MASSACHUSETTS
Congregationalism the established church,supported by public taxationsome Baptistsrefused to pay these taxes on grounds that noone should be forced to support someone
elses churchsome Baptists who refused topay had their property sold for tax costs
1728Exemption Act passed by Mass. GeneralCourtexempted Baptists and Quakers fromchurch tax if they supported a church of their
own within 5 miles of where they livedlawreferred to Baptists as Anabaptists
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MASSACHUSETTS (CONT.)
1728 exemption expired in 1733renewed with
some difficulty in 1747amended in 1753 to
require testimony of 3 other Anabaptist
churches to certify that a church had good
denominational standing (sometimes difficult inlight of Regular/Separate controversies)
1757new law that exempted only Baptists
whose names were on a list by July 20, 1757
list had to be certified by 3 principal members ofAnabaptist church to which they belonged
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MASSACHUSETTS (CONT.)
Isaac Backus (1724-1806):
born in CT into strong Puritan familyconverted as
teenager during 1st Great Awakening (1741)
ordained in Separate Congregational Church in
Middleborough, MA, in 1748accepted believersbaptism and was immersed in 1751tried for a time
to lead a mixed churchorganized Separate
Baptist congregation in Middleborough in 1756in
addition to pastoral duties, he itinerated widely
(during his career, he travelled over 67,000 milesand delivered almost 10,000 sermons)
Backus involved in establishment of Warren Assoc.
in 1767
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BACKUS
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MASSACHUSETTS (CONT.)
Backus (cont.)
1769Warren Assoc. organized a Grievance
Committee to aid in fight for religious liberty
1772Mass. General Court granted Baptists a new
exemption from church tax if they providedauthorities with certificates affirming their good
standing as BaptistsBackus became head of
Warren Assoc. Grievance Comm., functioning as a
special agent to promote the cause of religious
freedomhe opposed the whole certificate systemas taxation without representation and argued
that freedom of conscience was a natural right
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MASSACHUSETTS (CONT.)
Backus (cont.) 1773he wrote An Appeal to the Publ ic for
Rel ig ious Liberty against the Oppression of the
Present Dayin part, he wanted to persuadecautious fellow Baptists to follow a policy ofnoncompliance with the exemption system (heurged them not to turn in exemption certificates, anact of civil disobedience)he argued for religiousfreedom and the separation of church & state
1774Backus sought to persuade Samuel Adams
to adopt a consistent policy of separation of church& state in MA, comparing church taxes that Baptistspaid with taxes colonists paid to Great Britain
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MASSACHUSETTS (CONT.)
Backus (cont.)
Backus also went to the meeting of the 1st
Continental Congress in 1774 to press Baptist
claims for religious libertyhe enlisted supporters
in the Phila. Assoc.a preliminary meeting washeld with MA delegates to the Congressmany
delegates tried to dismiss the Baptist chares as
unwarranted or initiated by fanaticsafter 4 hours
of debate, the MA delegates agreed to do what they
could for the relief of Baptists, although JohnAdams warned that changing the solar system
might be easier than getting MA to give up her
establishmentthere were no immediate results
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MASSACHUSETTS (CONT.)
Backus (cont.)
He continued to fight for the cause of religious
liberty in MA and for the ratification of the new U.S.
Constitution and the Bill of Rightsthere was some
progress in MA but full disestablishment did notcome until 1833
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VIRGINIA
persecution in 18th century generally restricted
to Separate Baptists who refused to comply
with a provision of the 1689 Act of Toleration
that required dissenting ministers to obtain a
license to preach in various localitiesSeparates also known to attack Episcopal
clergy as unscriptural and worldlystate
church was threatened by this and by the
growth rate of Separates, so they subjectedthem to fines and imprisonments for either
disturbing the peace or violating restrictions
placed on itinerants (e.g., preaching w/o a
license)
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VIRGINIA (CONT.)
1765Samuel Harris driven out of Culpeper Co.
by a mob armed with sticks, whips, and clubs
in Orange Co. he was pulled from a platform
and dragged around, first by his hair and then
by a leg
1771John Waller and his colleagues were
beaten in Caroline Co. by the sheriff, an
Episcopal parson, and othersWaller and
friends were imprisoned, where they preachedfrom the windows of their cells
1765-78Virginia jailed over 45 Baptist
ministersgot worse in early 1780s
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VIRGINIA (CONT.)
1770sBaptists and other groups petitioned VA
House of Burgesses for relief from harassment
and restrictions placed upon themlittle
progress
John Leland (1754-1841):
Leland was to the cause of religious liberty in VA
what Backus was in MA
Leland maintained a friendship with Thomas
Jefferson (at times Jefferson worshiped in Lelandschurch)politically Leland was a Jeffersonian
Republican, supporting limited govt. and freedom
of conscience)
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LELAND INSCRIPTION
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DITTO
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VIRGINIA (CONT.)
Leland (cont.)
Leland and Jefferson helped to shape a Baptist-
Deist alliance for the cause of religious freedom
1779Jefferson introduced a Bill for Religious
Freedom in VA Assemblyit did not pass but a doorwas opened and the tide was beginning to turn
1784Baptists organized a General Committee to
set forth grievances and eliminate religious
discriminationLeland a key comm. memberin
1784 they gained a concession allowing dissentingclergymen the right to perform marriage ceremonies
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VIRGINIA (CONT.)
Leland (cont.)
1785Jeffersons Bill for Religious Freedom
passed the VA AssemblyJames Madison a key
supporterBaptists, Presbyterians, Catholics,
Quakers, and Mennonites all worked for its passage 1787end of established Episcopal Church in VA
with repeal of the Act of Incorporation, which had
given Episcopal Church special legal standing in
1784 (at that time Episcopal Church in America was
in process of becoming institutionally separate fromChurch of England)
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VIRGINIA (CONT.)
Leland (cont.)
Leland, like Backus, lobbied hard for the Bill of
Rights to be added to U.S. Constitutionhe would
not support Madisons candidacy to be a delegate
to VAs ratifying convention until he receivedassurances that Madison would work for a Bill of
Rights in the 1st Congressfirst 10 amendments
ratified in 1791 (1st Amendment relevant for church-
state relationships with establishment and free
exercise clauses) 1792Leland moved back to MA and itinerated for
next 50 years, including return trips to VAhe also
served in MA House of Representatives from 1811-
13
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