Why was Samuel Seabury consecrated as the first American Anglican bishop in Scotland?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Anglicanism The stately Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, England. The cathedral is the seat of the archbishop of Canterbury, the mother church of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion, and part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Samuel Seabury was consecrated in Scotland because he faced political obstacles in England that prevented his ordination there. After being elected bishop of Connecticut in 1783, Seabury traveled to England to seek consecration; however, bishops of the Church of England were legally unable to ordain him because, as a citizen of the newly independent United States, he could not swear the required oath of allegiance to the British crown.1

Seeking an alternative, Seabury turned to the Episcopal Church in Scotland. Because this church operated outside the state-mandated requirements of the English establishment, it was able to consecrate him without those political barriers. He was subsequently ordained in Aberdeen on November 14, 1784, becoming the first bishop of what would become the Episcopal Church in the United States.1