Essay about Colonial America

     Building on English foundations of political liberty, the colonists extended the concepts of liberty and self-government far beyond those envisioned in the mother country. While Englishmen had some representation in their parliament, Americans took the system further. All colonies had some form of a two-house parliament system. Some, like New York, had governors appointed by the crown. Others, like Rhode Island, elected their own. Local government also varied between the colonies. The southern states had a strong County government, while the New England colonies relied on town-meeting government. In either case, voting was reserved to land-owning white men.

Religion plays a major part in many societies, especially the first 13 colonies. Some colonies were even settled solely to have freedom of religion and escape from religious persecution. Massachusetts was one example, as the Puritans first went to Plymouth in 1620 seeking religious freedom. In terms of the New England colonies overall, they remained Puritan. The idea of religious toleration was restricted to only the Puritan religion. A goal of theirs was to establish a “city on a hill”, which they succeeded at by having an atmosphere of “watchfulness” and helping each other. John Winthrop, a Puritan, served as the first Massachusetts Bay Colony governor. Anyone who did not follow this religion were known as

Between 1607 and 1733, Great Britain established thirteen colonies in the New World along the land’s eastern coast. England’s colonies included Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Though the colonies were classified as New England, middle or southern colonies, the colonists developed a unifying culture. With this new American culture, the colonists throughout the colonies began to think differently than their English cousins. Because colonial America displayed characteristics of a democratic society and, therefore, deviated from England’s monarchic ways, it was established as a democratic society.

Colonial America, as a whole, was a self-governed, religiously tolerant, protestant area. The colonies became self-governed over time. Originally, most came to America to break free from the Catholic church, but as  England loosened its reigns with the English civil war and other distractions, the people of the colonies made their own documents and democracies. Though some were Catholic, most people were some form of Protestant. In the different regions, religious toleration varied to what religions were acceptable and which were not, but it was an overall concept that most approved.

In the Southern colonies there are many religions and beliefs. A law in Virginia made it forced for Virginians to follow in the Anglican Church. The colonists were not okay with non-Christian religion. The colony of North Carolina was based off an Anglican religion by order of the royal charter. Because of the rugged terrain and the way it made

There are two major key events in colonial events, where colonies tired to protect religious freedom. In 1634, a group of two hundred catholics migrated to Maryland. After catholic setters founded Maryland, Protestants began to move to Maryland in the 1640. Conflict arose between the catholic and protestants. Then Lord Baltimore presented a bill called the Toleration act of 1649. This act made it a crime to restrict christians rights. Secondly, In 1681, William Penn also helped to established religious freedom in the Pennsylvania colony. William wanted to provide a safe haven for all people to practice whatever they wanted. William was a Quaker, also know to be apart of the society of friends. Through the colony people believed in equality

The early American colonies were founded and settled by Great Britain. Accordingly, Church of England was the state sponsored religion in this area. Most individuals identified themselves at Protestants and most of the settlers considered themselves church members. Even with these facts the Anglican Church struggled to keep its base in the colonies and to move into newly settled areas. This happened because of the church leadership, several church practices, and the topography of the colonies.

Most often believed that their own practice in faith are unique values that most of them are against the ones that disagree with their rule and regulation. As we all know Great Britain protestant Anglican Church in which makes them split into several divisions, reforming and contributing to several colonies. Religious beliefs are important to certain colonies because some laws mandated that everyone contribute to their religion by acting, playing, learning habits and most important by having faith in their own religion. Most attempted to enforce strict religious observance. Laws have made authority to act in a

Religion had both positive and negative impact on the lives of Americans before the Civil war. It influenced the morals, rules and regulations of the colonies. Most of the colonies were established based on Christian beliefs and values. There was great religious diversity; Massachusetts was populated with pilgrims and puritans, the Quakers in Pennsylvania and Catholics in Maryland. Each colony believed in their faith and expected everyone to follow their religion. Puritans believed that they had been ordained by God to create a puritan society and did not believe in religious tolerance. The Catholics on the other hand dominated Maryland and the Quakers dominated Pennsylvania. Catholics and Protestants did not approve of each other religion. These divisions resulted in the persecutions of those who had different beliefs causing settlement of different groups in different colonies, hence the establishment of different states in America.

With both groups being constantly told that they could not worship what they believed in and worship in the way that they wanted to influenced many to look for a place to practice their religion outside of the kingdom. There was no significant democracy in America, let it be politically or socially. Politically democracy was absent do to the fact that the colonies were ruled by King James I. Early America was a place filled with many opportunities and was a place where many could start fresh. To Many early colonists America was place where they could seek the religious refuge that they had long been searching for.

The Massachusetts colony, otherwise known as the ‘Massachusetts Bay colony’ was originally settled by Puritans in 1630. They were plagued by the religious persecutions of King Charles I and the Church of England. Weary from this dogged torment, they left England under the leadership of John Winthrop. These original colonists quickly established many small towns in the name of high religious ideals and strict societal rules. They also planted churches, spread Puritanism and religiously educated the masses, as these were some of their goals. A utopian society that other colonies looked upon with high regards was the ultimate goal.

In the early 1490’s, Christopher Columbus set sail to find a new route to the fabled Indies but ended up coming across an island in the Bahamas. Columbus called this island the “New World” but today it’s known as North America. This discovery changed the lives of many different ethnic groups. During this remarkable time period the Natives, the Spanish, and the English came in contact with each other. The collision of these groups different cultural, social, political, and economical lives formed and shaped this New World.

They created the Maryland Toleration Act which required religious toleration in the British North American colonies (msa.maryland.gov). Rhode Island is another example of a religiously tolerant colony. With the help of Roger Williams, Rhode Island was able to separate the church from the state. The colonies of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Rhode Island set the model for other colonies to follow. More and more colonies started the practice religious tolerance (andycrown.net). Though there were some colonies that did not practice religious tolerance, the majority of the colonies did practice religious tolerance.

Some states even had official state supported churches. All was still not equal when it came to religion. So how then were we any different than England? We were no different, pure and simple. The right to to worship as you choose was lacking, and the religious persecution had followed our citizens across the "pond".

The year 1700 ended the agreement that emerged in the British colonies of North America favoring religious tolerance.According to Tancia Andryszewski “Rhode Island and Pennsylvania were two of the first thirteen colonies that had pursued relatively liberal policies of religious tolerance”(9).This created a rippling effect through the colonies some excepted the new changes of the choice and others choose to continue with a secular religion. According to Steven Lake “The tripositive state law suggests the services must advance a secular purpose, the services must neither advance nor inhibit religion and the method of promoting services must not have excessive entanglement”(25). This gives reason to believe that others are going to struggle abiding by the laws set forth to support the claim of freedom of religion being enforced in the