ABSTRACT
That same religious ardor that had been raised up to support ecclesiastical independence from the Church of England was also called forth as sentiment for political independence. Having supported independence as a quasi-religious goal, an "establishment" on the part of the federal union became illogical as well as impossible on practical grounds. American Protestantism had effectively done itself out of that established position in the common life that had been largely taken for granted during earlier periods, until the pattern was effectively challenged in Virginia. It is clear that republican Protestantism embodied a great deal of anti—Roman Catholic sentiment and fear of despotic government—often failing to distinguish the two issues. It is an anti-republican charity which would shield the Catholics, or any other religious denomination, from the animadversion of impartial criticism. Denominations, as really as books, are public property, and demand and are benefited by criticism.
