North American Colonies Religion

During the 17th and 18th century, English residents felt that England was over-crowded and intolerable. They wanted to lessen these problems that rose up because of the large population increase and to establish more religious freedom (Horn). The English believed that the best way to go about this was to colonize the New World. Subsequently, many colonies began to develop, and of these colonies, Massachusetts Bay and Virginia were the most well-known. The early settlements of Massachusetts and Virginia were both established by similar groups of people at the same time; furthermore, their contrasting beginnings as a colony, views on religion, and method of economic stability all contributed to our American heritage today.

Settlers came to the American Colonies for various reason, these included: religious, economic, and political reasons. The political and religious reasons are tied together. Settlers that came for religious reasons wanted religious freedom, something the Church of England didn’t allow. Separatist and pilgrims disagreed with the Anglican Church and fell into political disfavor. So, settlers formed colonies to escape the religious intolerance of the Church of England, but every colony had their own separate religious views. Furthermore, many settlers came to the American Colonies to make a profit, for example, Carolina was found by mostly poor tobacco farmers, they arrived because they wanted to make a profit by trading and farming.

Religious authority had an effect on virtually all groupings in Colonial North America. The religious institutions of all denominations held authority over their congregations, as well as their intended converts. Moreover, some churches, such as those found in the Puritan colonies, were not altogether removed from the governments in their region as one might equate to modern-day North American governing. Nonetheless, there would soon be a shift in power as the First Great Awakening commenced, and the people began to assume control. Religious authority, or the lack thereof, would influence countless groups and individuals alike.

In a time when numerous countries were beginning to explore the new and exciting land of North America during the Age of Exploration, and groups of people from England and Spain were fleeing their home countries either for religious freedom or wealth, vast and civilized colonies began to form all throughout the New World. It is in this context that the colonies founded by the English and the Spanish began to develop and grow. There was a significant difference between the Spanish and New England colonies between 1492 and 1700 in terms of the treatment of indigenous people, and there were some immense similarities between the two colonies in terms of the role of religion in their society and the

English colonization focused on religion and economy. Ever since the religious revolt against the Catholics, staged by Martin Luther in the 16th century, there were many religions formed which believed they had divine revelation from God. England was a land that was rich with religion and unlike the French and Spanish, they were not Catholic. There were many Protestants who resided in England during colonization. So, according to Early American History to 1877, “to zealous English Protestants, a colony in America would offer a bulwark against Catholic Spain and France.” The English wanted to get a religious foothold in America so that all inhabitants in America wouldn’t be tainted with Catholic beliefs. In addition, to England, a colony in America offered vast economic trade. Therefore England tried to establish colonies early on with Jamestown and the Roanoke Colony, but neither succeeded. They experienced hunger and hostility from the Indians and eventually had to leave. But, the English were able to rebound. They benefited immensely from tobacco and learned how to survive in the New World. So their objective of taking advantage of the economy of the New World and establishing Protestant colonies was

During the seventeenth century, colonial America was welcoming many newcomers, several from England. Quantities of these newcomers were seeking land for economic purposes as others were longing for religious toleration. Many of the English colonists settled in the New England region for religious freedoms, to escape the English king, and leave adversaries of other religions behind. Settlers who resided in the Middle Atlantic region were affected differently. Although the Middle Atlantic was more

England’s American empire was founded partially on greed, along with pursuit of various religious sects for different branches of Christianity, which led to different colonies becoming dominated by varied religious beliefs (i.e. Rhode Island

The main reason so many immigrants fled from Europe was to free themselves from religious persecution. They were being forced to either believe a certain way or pay for a specific religion to be in their country, they were not allowed to believe or practice their beliefs openly without detriment of some sort. The New World was new and had endless possibility and opportunity to get away from such oppression and pursue a life free from prosecution. Granted there was also money to be made and competition with Spain and France to discover the New World which made it promising for the wealthy and aristocrats to invest

Religion was the foundation of the early Colonial American Puritan writings. Many of the early settlements were comprised of men and women who fled Europe in the face of persecution to come to a new land and worship according to their own will. Their beliefs were stalwartly rooted in the fact that God should be involved with all facets of their lives and constantly worshiped. These Puritans writings focused on their religious foundations related to their exodus from Europe and religions role in their life on the new continent. Their literature helped to proselytize the message of God and focused on hard work and strict adherence to religious principles, thus avoiding eternal damnation. These main themes are evident in the writings of

Although European colonists traveled to colonial New England for a variety of reasons, they embraced Christianity as the primary purpose for their journeys. Furthermore, religion had a profound effect on everyday society and political hierarchies. From enforced morality to Indian conflicts, religion tended to destabilize numerous colonies and even led to unjustifiable atrocities like the Salem Witch Trials. Nevertheless, without a religious influence, the timeline of New World progression and territory would have been suspended indefinitely. Because religion primarily influenced the establishment of the colonies and numerous aspects of politics, it played an integral role in colonial New England society.

Religion in the New World exploded into the land with the colonization of thousands of immigrants. It played an important role in the development of thought in the West. Religion was one of the first concepts to spark the desires of people from other countries to emigrate to the new lands. While many religions blossomed on the American shores of the Atlantic, a basic structure held for most of them, being predominantly derived from Puritanism. Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, showed the link the new settlers had to God when Sir Thomas Dale said the following in 1610:

Religion has been a major force in the history of the United States and in settling the colonies of America in many ways. Religion was definitely one of the major reasons for the founding of the colonies. The early colonists wanted the freedom to worship God as they had seen as proper, and they were promised this freedom of worship. Most of these colonies were deeply rooted in their religious beliefs. Religion was a powerful influence on the social and political life of the colonial times in the New World. Typically, in the colonies, the church was a large building in the middle of a town and was used for town meetings and community gatherings in addition to worship. During this time, a church was the first building to go up, and the

Though an intial phase of exploration and conquest expanded the european presence in America in search of riches, Colonization brought settlers with hope of profitable agriculture oppurtunities. With these settlers came European culture and the Catholic Church. By the Early 17th century, Catholic missions were becoming a common form of settlement with the mission to convert natives. This missionary work became one of the most important factors for European immigration to America after the era of conquistidors (Brinkley p. 16). The ability to start anew also drew many settlers in an effort to avoid religious persectuion in their home countries.

In a time when numerous countries were beginning to explore the new and exciting land of North America during the Age of Exploration, and groups of people from England and Spain were fleeing their home countries either for religious freedom or wealth, vast and civilized colonies began to form all throughout the New World. The colonies that formed did so in very different ways due to the climate and the resources that were available. It is in this context that the colonies founded by the English and the Spanish began to develop and grow. There was a significant difference between the Spanish and New England colonies between 1492 and 1700 in terms of the treatment of indigenous people, and there were some immense similarities between the two colonies in terms of the role of religion in their society and the economic bases.

Religion is one of the fundamental aspects of society. Unfortunately, it is also one of the sparks that can start a war and revolutionize the way we think and certain civilizations traditions. For example, before the Spaniards came to the Central and Southern Americas the Incas had their own religion, but once they were conquered they were forced to convert to Christianity. The Incans had to abandon their way of life and traditions or face punishment. This, along with the near extinction of the race, caused them to lose their beliefs over time. On the other side, religion can also lead to the birth of a new civilization different from the rest, the “Americans’. Unlike other countries, the United States is a melting pot where people of different ethnic backgrounds, faiths, lifestyles, cultures, and races come together. And this is where it all started.