How Did The Differences In Religion Affect The Founding Of New England?

Besides English settlers there were numerous other representatives of the European countries settling in the new land. And as the Puritans came to practice their own believes so did other nationalities, as explained in the study material. In my own interpretation America represents change and the believe system as well as the way religion was previously practiced was now changing. This change was greatly influenced by the intellectual movement called Enlightenment, which started in Europe and this influence had bearing on the Great Awakening. Besides Puritans now there were Catholics in Maryland, Quakers in Pennsylvania and the Episcopal Church in the southern states.

During the late 1500’s there was two towns named Jamestown and the other was named Plymouth plantation. They were both headed to The Americas and they succeeded. The Jamestown colonists , who were led by John Smith, came for business reasons. Led by William Bradford, the Pilgrims wanted to have freedom of religion. The colonist and the Pilgrims did impact the Americas that we now live in.

As colonies were being founded in the early 1600's, religion was a key factor in determining laws. Massachusetts was established in 1620 by Pilgrims. These Pilgrims had fled England to avoid religious persecution. However, The New World was not their first stop. The Pilgrims originally traveled to New Amsterdam, where they were tolerated.

There are forgotten pieces of history that must have shaped what the United States of America is today. The people who kept George Washington alive when he was little and how they did it have been forgotten by most. Some of the less obvious inspirations John Locke had and what caused them have been lost. Even some of his meaning is lost in his writing. These things helped to make America and its government the way they are today.

Escaping established religion was one of the purposes for the foundation of several new colonies. Rebellion was seated in the ideal of fleeing establishment from the crown and popular religion. When writing the Declaration many thought the inclusion of a statement of religious liberty should be included. Many founders were subjected or witness subjection of religious intolerance. Historian Lewis Peyton Little states that between 1760 to 1778 there were at least 153 serious persecutions just involving Baptists (p. 101).

No one reason can be given for any event in history—in colonial times, North America was settled for a multitude of reasons. Although escape from religious persecution or the desire to expand a religion was one reason, economic concerns and the want for wealth comprised the majority of Britain 's intent to settle colonies in North America. Early European exploration of Asia and Africa was driven by trade and economics; because religion was a large part of daily life back then and into the years of American settlement by Europeans, explorers would cite it as their inspiration. The earliest settlements were motivated by an economic depression in England. Later, the first colonies of New England were settled by wealthy Puritans looking to create

In America they settled colonies like Plymouth and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They began developing a government that would allow them to stay closely together and practice their religion, this became known as the Mayflower Compact. In America the Puritans began to persecute others that didn’t practice Puritanism. The Puritans left

Massachusetts Colony was created as a place of refuge where Puritans could escape from the dominance of the English faith. The Puritans felt dominated by the Anglican church and felt as if their rights and freedoms had been taken away, so the Puritans created this new safe haven as a way to create an open environment for people of all religions to live while enjoying their freedom to practice as they chose This is exactly what Massachusetts was supposed to be; it was meant to represent religious freedom and tolerance. Although this is not quite the way that it truly played out. The Puritan church spoke of itself as open and inviting, when in reality members of this group were only accepting of other Puritans.

The Great Awakening was a radical spiritual movement that broke the traditional religious standards. Instead of relying on college educated clergy men to enlighten the masses this movement established the importance of commoners to convert the masses by placing the responsibility of educating the nonbelievers on each individual. (115) The Urban North religious revival coincided with a political upheaval regarding paper money and land banks.

Although all the colonists all came from England, the community development, purpose, and societal make-up caused a distinct difference between two distinct societies in New England and the Chesapeake region. The distinctions were obvious, whether it be the volume of religious drive, the need or lack of community, families versus single settlers, the decision on minimal wage, whether or not articles of agreements were drawn for and titles as well as other social matters were drawn, as well as where loyalties lay in leaders. New England was, overall, more religious than the Chesapeake region. Settlers in New England were searching relief for religious persecution in Europe. Puritans, Quakers, and Catholics were coming in droves to America searching for an opportunity to have religious freedom.

Despite the common origin of all English colonists, each family and individual had a unique reason to migrate to the colonies across the sea. One reason was the religious turmoil that had enveloped England since King Henry VIII changed the national religion to cater to his divorce. Some members of the Puritan church, called separatists, wanted to leave England and start a purer church elsewhere with less focus on material goods. A different, opposing reason to settle was to search for minerals or to farm a cash crop to get rich due to the Mercantilist system that was beginning in some European countries, including England. These contradictory reasons, including societal structure, motivation, and attitude to colonize contributed to the extremely

New England’s economy would also be influenced by the British tax later that would cause Americans to revolt many of which trusted in their faith to guide them The Puritans who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 were also motivated by religious beliefs. They believed in the idea of a "city upon a hill," a vision of a holy community that would serve as an example to the rest of the world (American YAWP, 2.6). This belief led to a strict social order and a commitment to the moral and spiritual purity of the community. It also led to conflicts with other religious groups, such as the Quakers, who were seen as a threat to the Puritan social order.

In New England, there was no such thing as religious tolerance. Everyone was required to be part of the Church of England whether they believed or not. This led to a disagreement among those who believed that those who were not “visible saints” should not be allowed to worship in the same place as those who were. These colonists were referred to as the Separatists because they eventually separated from the Church of England. Those who chose to stay with the church were called Puritans, although that term could technically be used to describe both.

Religion influence the funding and development of New England Colonies because it was one of the main reasons why the people wanted to break away. The Church of England believed that everyone should praise God, but only on their terms. The people of the church believed that only certain people could interpret the word of God and this made a group of people angry. This group of people wanted to ‘purify’ the church, which is where they got the name the Puritans. Puritans believed all catholic based beliefs should be taken out of the church and that it was not required to worship God.

The three main colonies that we hear about are Virginia, Plymouth, and Massachusetts. These three colonies basically define all the others, as each group and its main founder either went for a personal financial gain or to escape religious persecution. Virginia was originally settled by Captain John Smith and grew into a successful trade colony through tobacco. Plymouth was originally founded by the Separatists and was lead by William Bradford. Eventually the dwindling Plymouth joined with Massachusetts which was originally Puritan based.