<P> The Church of England (Anglican) was officially established in five Southern colonies, which meant that local taxes paid the salary of the clergy . The parish had civic responsibilities such as poor relief . The local gentry controlled the budget, rather than the clergy . The Crown never appointed a bishop in the American colonies because of resistance from other churches . Anglicans in America were under the authority of the Bishop of London . He sent out missionaries from England and ordained men from the Colonies to minister there in parishes . </P> <P> Historians debate how influential Christianity was in the era of the American Revolution . Many of the founding fathers were active in a local church; some of them had Deist sentiments, such as Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington . </P> <P> Catholics were few outside of Maryland; however, they played the Patriot role during the Revolution . Leaders such as George Washington strongly endorsed tolerance for them and indeed for all denominations . </P> <P> The First Great Awakening was the nation's first major religious revival, occurring in the middle of the 18th century, and it injected new vigor into Christian faith . It was a wave of religious enthusiasm among Protestants that swept the colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion . Jonathan Edwards was a key leader and a powerful intellectual in colonial America . George Whitefield came over from England and made many converts . </P>

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