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Title: Beware the resugence of the Anti RC Test laws Post by: curious on December 28, 2025, 10:46:54 AM In early colonial America, Test Laws (or Religious Tests) were primarily designed as instruments of social and political control. While not always framed as an "oligarchy" in the modern sense, these laws effectively concentrated power within a small elite group by excluding "outsiders" based on religion, wealth, and status.
Strategic Exclusion of Outsiders The primary function of these laws was to ensure that only individuals who shared the dominant religious and political values of the ruling class could hold office: Religious Homogeneity: Test Acts, such as the Test Act of 1673, required officeholders to take oaths of supremacy and receive communion in the established Church of England. This effectively barred Roman Catholics, Jews, and non-conforming Protestants (like Quakers) from political power in nearly all colonies. Protecting the "Stake in Society": Beyond religion, power was restricted to those with a "stake in society"—typically white, male property owners. This created an elite class of voters and officials, leaving out a significant portion of the population, including the poor, women, and enslaved people. Title: Re: Beware the resugence of the Anti RC Test laws Post by: eschator83 on December 30, 2025, 03:02:09 PM What resurgence? You should worry more about jihad and sharia law, even if they are not listed in our pocket dictionaries. Please note the time period you refer to is of English, French, Spanish, and Dutch colonies. There was no US or American law at the time. Don't you think we've done pretty well to restrict them?
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