Free Church Quotes
At the time he made this speech it was very radical. School segregation was not only legal but was required by law in the Southern states. This was a huge slap in the face of the South which had undermined the gains of Reconstruction. It did not however hurt his future political career in the North. At the time it was the Republicans who were the champions of desegregation and equality and most racists in the country were Democrats. One hundred years later, it was the other way around. Most racists affiliated with the Republican Party and it was the Democrats who advocated strong anti-discriminatory measures.
This anarchist vision of religion in the state is that of America with its first amendment, The reason that religion was still an issue for American Anarchists were that at the time and earlier, community norms and customs throughout the country dominated life and the First Amendment separation of church and state was commonly transgressed with few citizens willing to stand up against the community majority and force the issue in courts or in the political arena. That changed in the remainder of the 20th century and while there still are violations, they are relatively few in the 21st century.
