Religion In The American Colonies Essay

In Colonial America, during the 1600’s and 1700’s, there were religious, political and geographical changes which resulted in democratic and undemocratic changes. Religion had a big impact on Colonial America. Maryland had to pass the Act of Toleration because too many people were not able to exercise their religion freely. (document 1) The act stated that nobody in Maryland who exercises their religion will be embarrassed and is free to do so willingly, however this act only applied to Christians.

Regardless of a colony’s religious situation, whether they allowed complete freedom of worship or were occupied by strict religious laws, all thirteen colonies were affected by a movement called the Great Awakening. Generally, the Great Awakening is characterized by a fervent revival in religion practice. Although, this movement had a major impact on most aspects of colonial life, it is important to note the effect it had on religion and how that in turn affected the political life of the colonist. Because of The Great Awakening, many ministers lost authority the authority they held over because more people were taking to studying the Bible in their own homes. This idea would have larger implications for the future.

The Great Awakening unified the diverse colonies with the belief that colonists must shift their lives’ focus from worldly matters, such as accumulating land and wealth, back to faith and the church i n order to avoid condemnation by God. Ministers, such as the passionate George Whitefield, became very influential and powerful at the time by spreading this concept along with methods for earning salvation. For example, “at Philadelphia…, many thousands flock[ed] to hear him preach the Gospel, and great numbers were converted to Christ” (VOF 78). With a large following, Whitefield’s ideas “... encouraged many colonists to trust their own views rather than those of established elites” (GME 160).

They based their community around the puritan church with strict guidelines and rules (Doc J). The church of Salem had a goal of pleasing God by any means (Doc F). Overall, the New England Colony was based off a plantation of religion and not of trade(Doc B). This shows just how devoutly the people of the New England Colony practiced religion and how much they differed from the

Pennsylvania, once again, was filled with religions. William Penn, when establishing Pennsylvania, gave his people almost full religious freedom, something that was rarely tolerated back then. When the Enlightenment hit, religion saw a rapid decline. Deism and skepticism were becoming popular and religion in the colonies was in question. It was not until George Whitefield stepped up and initiated the Great Awakening.

First Great Awakening: The First Great Awakening was a reaction to the Enlightenment in the 1730's and 1740's that was basically a giant jump forward for American Protestantism in primarily the American colonies, Protestant Europe and British America. The reason The First Great Awakening occurred is, men in these regions began to question what their use was regarding society and religion. This means people began to move in their own direction when it came to personal salvation. New denominations began to rise and it brought the colonies closer together than ever before.

Religious diversity is not foreign to Americans. American is known for its religious diversity. This diversity did not just arise. It has been around since Colonial American. In this paper I will argue that the influx in immigration in America and differing beliefs within individual denominations shaped religious diversity in the colonial American landscape.

Freedom to Prosecute Religion Colonial America is often thought of as a safe haven from religious persecution. Future colonists had been persecuted for not accepting their countries ' religious doctrine and were willing to travel long distances in search of religious freedom. Religious freedom would still be far from grasp as Puritans would continue their homelands traditions of persecution for many more years. Puritans, unlike the Pilgrims (who sought to completely separate from the Church of England), wanted to purify the Church.

They believed that the worship of God had to progress from the individual that “God predestined to make the world, man, and all things as well as who would be saved and who would be damned”(Belivers). The main similarity between the Pilgrims and the Puritans had been that they both disagreed with the church. The movement of these colonies created a big impact on North America. That being said, these coloniest were the first religions that carved our first states.

People warned that the movement was too emotional, but the growth of so many new churches forced colonists to become more tolerant to people who had different beliefs.

In the 17th and 18th century though other Christian denominations grew in popularity like the Unitarians, Methodists. Although, collectively the colonies were Christian, they did not live in harmony with one another. The different Christian groups felt that they had more to offer than the next. Heavy handed governing and exclusivity was essential to the survival of the first colonies. If someone was suspected of not following the dominate faith in the area he or she could be persecuted (Wiewora).

I have been going to church every Sunday I’ve been here, because they use the same punishment for skipping. These bloody copy cats use the exact same public embarrassment as we do. Another aspect that they copy about us is telling little children that if they didn’t go to church they would drown. They’re life is practically the same as ours. What is the point of starting a new life if it’s the same as your old one!

The Second Great Awakening also consisted of the growth of many churches in the United States and increased the percentage of religious people by a lot. The second great awakening influenced several social reforms that took place later and helped change our country into what it is today. The Second Great Awakening definitely expanded the number of active church members and affected the United States in many ways later in its

Many of the traditional practices in Virginia were thanks to the structure applied by the England country courts. Because the Church of England was the established church in the colony, it legally required colonists to attend its services and, through taxes, to financially support its ministers. Furthermore, it made the church a place where people could make political, social and economic networks. They “came together not only to worship but to exchange business documents, discuss tobacco prices, argue over the quality of horses, catch up on local gossip, and share news of the wider world." (Pagan.

The settlers of Pennsylvania were mostly Quakers with other Europeans who wanted freedom. The Quakers weren’t welcome in England and wanted to find a place where they would be treated equally. They believed in simple lifestyles and wanted all men to be treated equally. The Quakers refused to fight in wars, pay taxes to the Church of England, or bow to the king. The Quakers and others who wanted freedom were the settlers of