Which of the following pieces of evidence would best support the statement, "The Puritans did not believe in a true separation o
f church and state"? A: In Plymouth, non-church members were allowed to vote in public elections. B: In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, all citizens were taxed in order to support the church. C: In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ministers were originally banned from holding public office. D: The Puritans held town meetings within the church building, sometimes after worship.
The correct answer is B) In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, all citizens were taxed in order to support the church.
The idea of separation of church and state implies that the church and the government operate in completely different realms of society and do not interfer with each other. As you can tell from letter choice B, this shows a clear relationship between church and state, as taxes would go directly to the church rather than funding other government programs.
The famous compromise that Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson and James Madison reached regarding repayment of state debts was that a central bank would be created to deal with such debts, and in return the nation's capital would be located in the South.
