A Gradual Disentangling Part II:
The Massachusetts Government’s and the Religion of the Revolution.
Read Part I here.
https://medium.com/@meisterkassner/a-gradual-disentangling-part-i-8c95051c1fe3
When Boston radicals boarded ships bearing East India Company tea and threw the cargo overboard in mid-December of 1763, the stage was set for a dramatic escalation of revolutionary tensions. The British responded with a series of measures including the Massachusetts Government Act and the imposition of martial law. Massachusetts sought to preserve its traditions of self-government during the crisis by forming the Massachusetts Provincial Congress which created a representative assembly. The acts of this congress provide another lens into the relationship between church and state during the time of the revolution. The Provincial Congress passed a series of measures that present the political counterpoint to the actions of revolutionary clergy like Jonathan Mayhew and demonstrated the close continued connection between the political and religious leadership in Massachusetts.
The Provincial Congress began its work by calling for the observation of “a day of public thanksgiving.” Passed within five days of the opening of the Congress, it revealed the continuing importance of religious interpretations of…
