Colonial Tax Drama

In the early colonial period Mennonites voted. They voted as a block with the Quakers to keep the Quaker party in control of the Pennsylvania Assembly. Under the Friends political umbrella, things went rather swimmingly for Mennonites. When, as a result of political upheaval and uncertainty, Mennonites quit voting the ‘Presbyterians’ gained control of the Assembly. By that time Mennonites, along with other Germans, composed one third of Pennsylvania's population.

The Assembly almost immediately declared that every citizen must swear an Oath of Allegiance, a mechanism to ferret out any hidden supporters of Britain, which many Mennonites were. In their view King George was the legitimate occupier of a divinely-mandated throne. Did not Jesus command that they were to give their respect to Caesar? When they had immigrated to the colonies, they had given their oath to uphold the King of England. An oath was sacrosanct. How could they go back on it now by giving their allegiance to this Assembly attempting King George’s overthrow? Besides, when they joined the church they had given their full allegiance to Christ and His body. There wasn't any allegiance left for this gestating state.

If they refused the oath, they were to be treated as aliens, unable to buy, sell or travel more than a mile from home. Not a good omen for farmers trying to get their produce to market! Fortunately, Mennonites were only selectively prosecuted. For those that were, life was very difficult. They were often taken in and supported by their brethren until the War of Independence resolved the issue.

Mennonites were not forcibly conscripted during the war. Rather than enlisting, they could pay a fee and opt out. This Hobson's choice did not go down well with Mennonites. Paying a fee to the government was too much like paying someone to take their place on the battlefield, something that troubled the Mennonite conscience to no end. Besides, while the scriptures were clear about taxes, it was silent on the subject of fees.

For a time they refused both enlistment and the fee. Shrewd politicians who understood the nuanced nature of the internal debate between fees and taxes soon change the fee to a tax, creating another crisis of conscience for Mennonites.

Did not the Bible command to give Caesar his due? Nothing had been said about giving the scurrilous crowd calling for Caesar’s overthrow their due. Mennonites were caught trying to figure out just who was the rightful owner of their tax revenues.

Many refused to enlist, or to pay the tax. It’s the beginning of a movement by some Mennonites in America to refuse to pay war taxes, a movement that continues to some extent to this day.

The Revolutionary War seemed to establish for most Mennonites that God's providential hand was at work in legitimizing the government of the new republic. But there were holdouts. These disaffected Germans looked northward to lands still under British rule. Sensing the unrest among those dissatisfied with the war's outcome, the Lieutenant Governor of what later became Ontario, Canada invited Mennonites, Quakers and Brethren pacifists to settle in the north country. They were promised exemption from military service and from swearing oaths.

These exemptions, plus large tracts of inexpensive, secluded, fertile land in an area already settled by other German-speaking pioneers, were too good to pass up. A contingent left the new republic in their Conestoga wagons, moving 450 miles north. Their descendants today maintain prosperous farms and businesses in the area around Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario.