Extract from An Act Establishing Forms of Oath, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1771

This book excerpt consists of two leaves (printed on both sides) from a larger act, printed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1771. The act concerns the establishment of non-denominational oaths of office for British colonial governors and justices, eliminating the requirement for explicitly Christian wording. This reflects a shift towards religious tolerance in colonial administration. The excerpt is significant for its implications on the changing relationship between religious practice and legal office in the British colonies and its relationship to the increasing commercial and imperial power of Great Britain.

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Subjects

• Oaths
• Government
• Religious tolerance
• History
• 18th century

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