"states" in much the same fashion as the states of Europe had their own religions: "(T)he original intention of the colonists was to perpetuate the pattern of religious uniformity in the different settlements" (McCarthy, et al., 9).
As the territories were settled, the Puritans carved a niche for themselves in New England, the Anglicans one for themselves in the South, the Dutch Reformed in the "middle colonies" bordering the New England Puritans, the Swedish communities in the "middle colonies" above the Anglicans. The new religious "freedom," however, meant that
an individual's political standing was based in part upon his or her acceptance of the orthodox religious beliefs of the community. In each of the original settlements dissenting individuals, groups, or institutions were excluded from full participation in the political community (McCarthy, et al., 9).
Along with this uniformity of community came the desire for education in conformity with the tenets of the local religious sect. This was only possible in those communities which were "religiously homogeneous settlements," or, at the very least, in a "setting in which one group controlled the government and could use the power of the state to impose its world view through education on all students" (McCarthy, et al., 9). Such arrangements were most commonly found in the Puritan settlements of the north. In the middle and southern colonies, however, the diversity of Quaker, Lutheran, Catholic, Dutch Reformed, and Anglican communities, among others, prevented the kind of educational uniformity found in New England:
In Pennsylvania, for example, the Quakers found themselves in a curious predicament. On the one hand they were the proprietary party in the colony and were committed to Quaker education as an expression of true piety. On the other hand, they were heirs of the Protestant movements that championed religious freedom. The dilemma was solved only ...