Post-independence Established religion in US

What conditions would be required to allow the 13 colonies either collectively or individual to maintain established churches? Would the Episcopal Church be established throughout the US as the Church of England is in England? What effects would this have on the US as it evolves and grows?
 
What conditions would be required to allow the 13 colonies either collectively or individual to maintain established churches? Would the Episcopal Church be established throughout the US as the Church of England is in England? What effects would this have on the US as it evolves and grows?

Highly problematic, as both leading religious and political figures of the time favored a firm separation of Church and State, believing that intertwining these highly distinct areas of public affairs would inevitably corrupt them both. Remember that in the century preceding the 18th, the Anglosphere had had to deal with Guy Fawkes, Oliver Cromwell, the Glorious Revolution, etc. More prudent for the endurance of the Union to not make religion out of politics and politics out of religion. There are so much eloquent writing on the matter I would love to quote, but the pure length of it makes it impractical. I will simply provide this link illustrating, in his own words, President Madison's own views on the Separation of Church and State. And then of course there's every atheist's and deist's favorite president as far as religious matters are concerned: Thomas Jefferson.

I lament the anti-intellectualism of modern American politics... :(
 

BlondieBC

Banned
What conditions would be required to allow the 13 colonies either collectively or individual to maintain established churches? Would the Episcopal Church be established throughout the US as the Church of England is in England? What effects would this have on the US as it evolves and grows?

The bill of rights did not apply to the states until the 14th amendment, so the states could have chose to. What is needed is a state that wants to. So for example, maybe Maryland chose the Catholic church, or the Puritan church of Massachusetts, etc.
 

Meerkat92

Banned
The bill of rights did not apply to the states until the 14th amendment, so the states could have chose to. What is needed is a state that wants to. So for example, maybe Maryland chose the Catholic church, or the Puritan church of Massachusetts, etc.

Catholicism actually became somewhat of a minority religion in Maryland by the time of Independence, you know. And Massachusetts actually did have an established religion well into the 1830s, I believe.
 

Jasen777

Donor
Some states did indeed have established churches. Which was perhaps the biggest reason why a federal establishment was a complete non-starter.
 
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