DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/AYCZ-KY23
Defense Date
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
History
First Advisor
Dr. Carolyn Eastman
Abstract
This thesis examines how churches and taverns became sites for political discussion and organizing during the Revolutionary era, 1765-1780. Taverns had long served a role in Virginians’ lives by providing places where news was exchanged and discussed, but with the political upheaval between the colonies and Great Britain many of the activities and discussions that took place there became far more politically charged. Analyzing churches and their role within the revolutionary era demonstrates that Virginia’s revolutionary leaders used an institution deeply rooted in their society to further political activism by Virginians and Virginia’s provisional government. But in several ways the Revolution also wrought profound changes with regard to religious liberty and social hierarchy. Through the study of both churches and taverns this study reveals new insights about how these institutions served overlapping and sometimes parallel roles by providing spaces for meetings, discussions, and the exchange of information—as well as new sources of political debate.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-9-2016