My sense, including from detailed readings of the Virginia Gazettes of the colonial period, was that such "vicious persecution" took place earlier, 1740-1760s. Roger Mellen On 11/9/10 9:18 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote: > Jon, in your response to Paul Finkelman, you say "not sure I would > characterize *1780s* as a period of 'vicious persecution' of any denomination in > VA." Does your uncertainty have to do with your sense of the degree of > the persecution that does seem to have existed? More than one religious > historian has maintained that it was the treatment of Baptists and others by > both government authorities and general population that helped produce our > national position on religious tolerance and freedom. Similarly, Thomas > Jefferson's concept of separation of church and state seems to have been > influenced by his perception of ill treatment of such folk as the Baptists. > > Thoughts? > > > > In a message dated 11/9/2010 9:05:49 A.M. Mountain Standard Time, > [log in to unmask] writes: > > When described in detail, the oaths taken by 18th-c VA officeholders were > typically described as "the Oaths appointed to be taken by Act of > Parliament* followed by a statement about "repeat[ing] and subscrib[ing -- > i.e., signing] the Test"** > > {Language quoted from William Nelson's assumption of governorship in > October > 1770 in Van Horne ed Nelson Correspondence 37-38n} > > *Act I George I stat 2 cap XIII - oath of allegiance to George I and > succession of his Protestant heirs > ** The Test was a repudiation of transubstantion required by the Test Act > of > 1673 > > At the beginning of a general assembly session and when new burgesses > entered the Assembly from by-elections, the journals refer more succinctly > to the oaths.... > > George Washington signed a Test Act Oath about May 22, 1754 - the document > is extant, or at least preserved by published photographs...... > > And in 1777 VA adopted its own (secular) Test Act requiring "free male > inhabitants of this state above a certain age to give assurance of > allegiance to the same [i.e. to the commonwealth]." - Hening Statutes 9: > 281-83. > > PS to original query : not sure I would characterize *1780s* as a period of > " vicious persecution" of any denomination in VA > > Jon Kukla > ________________ > www.JonKukla.com<http://www.jonkukla.com/> > > > On Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 10:28 AM, Henry Wiencek > <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > >> According to the "Industrial and historical sketch of Fairfax County, >> Virginia," (1907), in colonial times all county officials were >> required to take the "Test Oath" denying belief in the >> Transubstantiation of the Eucharist, a clause no Roman Catholic could >> swear to. >> >> Henry Wiencek >> >> ______________________________________ >> To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions > at >> http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html >> > ______________________________________ > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions > at > http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > > > ______________________________________ > To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at > http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html > ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html