“For Christ and Covenant” : a movement for equal consideration in early nineteenth century Nova Scotia

Abstract

Reverend Dr. Thomas McCulloch is a well-documented figure in Nova Scotia’s educational historiography. Despite this, his political activism and Presbyterian background has been largely overlooked. This thesis offers a re-interpretation of the well-known figure and the Pictou Academy’s fight for permeant pecuniary aid. Through examining Scotland’s early politico-religious history from the Reformation through the Covenanting crusades and into the first disruption of the Church of Scotland, this thesis demonstrates that the language of political disaffection was frequently expressed through the language of religion. As a result, this framework of response was exported with the Scottish diaspora to Nova Scotia, and used by McCulloch to stimulate a movement for equal consideration within the colony.