James Murray: A Forgotten Champion of Religious Freedom

Too little studied is James Murray's almost unprecedented breakthrough: A Protestant empire allowed broad religious liberties in a Catholic province. London's 1760 conquest of France's colony in North America could have become yet another case of Protestants persecuting Catholics (or vice versa). As the first British governor of Quebec, Murray did not have to choose tolerance; anti-Roman oppression would have been personally easier for him. In fact he followed both anti-Catholic and pro-Catholic policies, but on balance he was far more pro-Catholic—or rather, pro-tolerance. Also novel: Protestant monarchies de facto appointed Catholic bishops. The 1774 Quebec Act, also too little studied, essentially codified Murray's tolerant policies.