The Origins of Religious Stratification in Colonial America

Abstract

Religious stratification occurs when religion is institutionalized in the laws and/or customs of society as a criterion for the allocation of social positions and their attendant rewards. The result is a relatively stable ranking of religious groups in terms of their access to power, privilege, and prestige. In this article, we examine the social processes that contributed to the emergence of religious stratification in colonial America. Following Weber (1946), Lenski (1966), andNoel (1968), we use a "modified fair shares" theory that highlights the importance of three contributing influences: religious prejudice, competition, and differential power. After explaining the role played by each of these factors, we document the existence and enduring nature of religious stratification in the colonies. The evidence includes data on the religious establishments that arose in some colonies, other regulations governing access to scarce resources (such as the right to vote and hold public office), and differential access to economic and political power based on religious adherence. We conclude with observations about the need for further research on religious stratification in America.

Trends in Religious Stratification: Have Religious Group Socioeconomic Distinctions Declined in Recent Decades?

“…This is a significant oversight because religious group socioeconomic differences are in large measure a product of history. Liberal Protestants have enjoyed political and economic advantages in America since the colonial era (Pyle and Davidson 2003). Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Congregationalists/UCCs bave bad greater opportunities than others to accumulate family wealth and transmit their privileges to offspring.…”

Presidential Address: Religion and Power—A Return to the Roots of Social Scientific Scholarship

“…These themes include: The impact of religious affiliation or religiosity on socioeconomic outcomes (e.g., Scheve and Stasavage ). The effects of religious attitudes and behaviors on sociopolitical attitudes (e.g., Brown et al. ; Brown, Kaiser, and Jackson ). The effects of social status and identity on religious attitudes (e.g., Kokosalakis ). The ways in which stratification systems of race, ethnicity, and class impact or are impacted by religion (e.g., Collett and Lizardo ; Frost and Edgell ; Kim ; Smith and Faris ). How religion impacts society at the macro level, namely, culture, politics, and the economy (Beckford ; Orsi ). How religion serves to legitimate or delegitimate sociopolitical systems (e.g., Billings and Scott ; Davidson and Pyle ; Lincoln ; Pyle and Davidson ; Wuthnow ). …”

“…r How religion impacts society at the macro level, namely, culture, politics, and the economy (Beckford 2000;Orsi 2003). r How religion serves to legitimate or delegitimate sociopolitical systems (e.g., Billings and Scott 1994;Davidson and Pyle 2006;Lincoln 1985;Pyle and Davidson 2003;Wuthnow 1988).…”

Prosocial skeptics: Skepticism and generalized trust

“…These mainline denominations dominated American life from the country’s founding and continue to hold sway in important ways; members of these mainline denominations continue to be overrepresented in powerful professional positions from banking to education (Davidson et al., 1995). The major U.S. religious traditions have unique histories and cultures relative to mainstream American society (Dougherty et al., 2007; Steensland et al., 2000), and even as Catholics, Evangelical and Black Protestants, and Jews have over time become more connected to mainstream social life (Edgell et al, 2006; Wuthnow, 1988), scholars point to significant instances in American history when Black Protestants, Evangelicals, Catholics, and Jews were very much suspect outsiders (Pyle and Davidson, 2003). Each of these groups spent significant parts of their history in the United States establishing relatively autonomous institutional and social lives.…”