The Imperial Origins of the King's Church in Early America 1607-1783

The experience of the King's church in early America was shaped by the unfolding imperial policies of the English government after 1675. London-based civil and ecclesiastical officials supervised the extension and development of the church overseas. The recruitment, appointment and financial support of the ministers were guided by London officials. Transplanted to the New World without the traditional hierarchical structure of the church - no bishop served in the colonies during the colonial period at the time of the American Revolution - it was neither an English-American nor American-English church, yet it modified in a distinctive manner.
The volume provides a revisionist interpretation of the King's church as an instrument of imperial policy and an examination of: unfolding imperial policies of the Committee of Trade and Plantations that aided and supported the extension of the King's church overseas; the civil and ecclesiastical agencies and leaders that developed and implemented the policies for the development and supervision of the church in the American colonies; the financial support of the King's church in America; and the impact of the American Revolution on the King's church.