The selection of Provoost served to mollify anti-Anglican sentiments that had arisen during the Revolution. In his Addresses on the History of the United States Senate, Senator Robert Byrd noted that in the years before the Revolution Provoost "was a passionate Whig, and his sympathy for the colonies against English rule did not sit well with his wealthy loyalist congregation.
Provoost's appointment was intended to appease those who were opposed to Anglicanism in the wake of the American Revolution. Senator Robert Byrd emphasized that prior to the revolution, Provoost had been a vocal supporter of the American cause but faced opposition from both colonists and his own loyalist congregation.