Religion in British America

In the social context of 18th century European societies, British America held a plurality on religious affiliations due to particular support for colonisation from nonconformist groups within Britain and Ireland. This played both a unifying and dividing force throughout the history of British America in the lead-up to the American Revolutionary War.

Christianity

Roman Catholicism

Prior to the 16th century Protestant Reformation, Roman Catholicism comprised the vast majority of Christians in Western Europe, as Orthodox communities were not actively proselytising in the west and groups such as the Lollards and Hussites were suppressed and confined to their regions of origin. By the 17th century however, much of northern Europe was run by Protestant states of differing liturgical traditions, and Catholicism within those realms was suppressed. For much of this period in Britain and Ireland, Catholics were not allowed certain rights and privileges such as political representation and careers in the British and Irish Armies. A continuing state of paranoia lasted in the empire, fearing the Vatican could in theory authorise a crusade against them, with any Catholics and "crypto-Catholics" within their borders being seen as fifth columnists.

The exact rights and privileges for Catholics varied over time in the provinces. The Province of Maryland was established from the ground-up as a colony built on interdenominational toleration, being founded by Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore as a haven for British Catholics to move to, and protected by the Maryland Toleration Act. Persecution was, however, still enforced by neighbouring colonies, and migration of Puritans into Maryland led to the 1689 Protestant Revolution where toleration was ended. Following the 1763 Treaty of Paris, France and Spain handed over a number of provinces to Britain, which inherited their colonists to be legally protected as subjects of George III. While Anglicanism became the official religion in the new colonies in the West Indies, attempts were made to provide political representation to Catholics there to ease tensions, while the Province of Quebec was constitutionally protected as a wholly Catholic province, leading to religious tensions with neighbouring provinces.

Anglicanism and Episcopalianism

In the majority of provinces, Anglicanism was the official religion, as it was in England and Ireland. A 16th century offshoot of Catholicism developing alongside the Protestant Reformation, Anglicanism by the Elizabethan Settlement had emerged as a compromise in faith. While Catholic traditions were preserved, such as the use of Bishops and mass, liturgy was interpreted through a Calvinist lens. Over the course of the 17th century, Anglicanism fractured into a number of Protestant groups which rejected these traditions, forming what would in time become the "High Church"/"Low Church" divide. In mid-18th century British America, the decreasing social prominence of Anglicanism curtailed the privileges followers had in Britain, and Tory and Whig politicians in New England and the Middle Colonies were divided on whether or not Anglican institutions should be preserved, such as the creation of American Bishops. In the American Revolution itself, Anglicanism tended to be associated with Toryism.

Puritanism

Puritanism emerged in the late 16th century as a radical Protestant element within Anglicanism, which pushed for a Calvinist reformation within the church to bring it more in line with mainland Europe. Puritans tended to remain operating within the system, with ordained priests holding services within pre-existing churches within their dioses. Their position on Bishops, however, was to replace them with a council of elders called Presbyters. Puritan violence against High Church worshippers and suspected crypto-Catholics made them a concern for the English government of the early 17th century, with many ultimately choosing to migrate to the New England provinces to escape sectarianism in Britain. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, Puritans were able to gain a foothold in Parliament and from 1649-1660 it was the de facto state religion in England, Scotland and Ireland.

Within both Britain and British America, Puritanism saw rapid decline in the early 18th century due to continued schisms, with the First Great Awakening pushing for an evangelical alternative which ultimately became Methodism.

Congregationalism

Congregationalism emerged in the early 17th century as a schism within Puritanism. Whereas Puritans operated within the Church of England and supported replacing Bishops with Presbyters, Congregationalists believed that churches should operate independently and rejected the concept of higher religious authority beyond ministers. Congregationalists saw persecution in England for their unauthorised services, and many left for Massachusetts Bay. Among the more well known early American Congregationalists is the Mather family, with Richard Mather leaving Liverpool in 1635. His son, Increase, continued his father's mission and was involved in the Salem Witch trials.

Despite their prominence within Massachusetts Bay, Congregationalists remained a political minority due to its affiliation with Anglicanism through the Half-Way Covenant, and many would moved out into the frontiers and Indian territories to live on their own. Connecticut Colony was itself formed by Congregationalists from Massachusetts. Due to their longstanding opposition to Anglicanism, Congregationalists tended to be in opposition to attempts to bring Bishops to British America, and supported revolutionary action.