Religion: The Influence Religion On Native Americans

America’s history is rich with literature. The beginning of American literature dates back to the Colonial times, but that began way before the colonists even stepped foot in America. There are three major groups of people from the colonial period that impacted literature. That is the Native Americans, Puritans, and the Rationalists.

Compare the ways in which religion shaped the development of colonial society (to 1740) in TWO of the following regions: New England

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

Prior to the arrival of colonial settlers “all but the simplest indigenous cultures in North America had developed coherent religious systems that included cosmologies—creation myths, transmitted orally from one generation to the next, which purported to explain how those societies had come into being” (NationalHumanitiesCenter). Most Native Americans worshipped a single all-knowing all-powerful creator that would take on a variety of forms and roles. Tribal creator gods varied by region, but the Great Spirit was worshipped in several areas by many tribes. Native Americans, unlike their Christian counterparts tended to believe in multiple gods which had control on other aspects of their lives. Native ceremonial traditions varied by differing

The Post-Classical Period encompassed both a return to the legacies of classical civilizations as well the beginning of new empires. However, what was most significant about this period was the increase in trade and the spread of religion between civilizations. Two continuities in the development of religion in the Americas during the Post-Classical period were religion’s political impact and cultural influence. One change in the development of trade in the Americas during the Post-Classical period was the increased economic interaction due to the emergence of empires.

Native Americans were the first civilization in America this means that they do not know how things were made yet. That caused them to tell stories called myths about how the Earth came to be and how mountains were made. Myths got passed down from generation to generation and often got changed as the word passes on. These myths are still around and being told today but just as historical background to study them. Native American myths have common traits such as characters, morals, and the pattern of events; imply that Native Americans value land and life.

Religion has always had a dramatic effect on any colony, country, or time period. The religion in the early colonial age not only affected the people in that era but affected modern day religion and politics in American society. To begin, religious ideas shaped our land. This is because, when the first explorers came to America, they tried to spread their religious ideas. This affected modern day population and minority numbers in many places. For example, when the Spanish first came to America, they tried to spread their religious ideas among the native people there. The natives didn’t like this and so they fought back. This shaped the major religion and political systems in the parts that the Spaniards explored. Also, some of the first colonies,

Due to their dedication to religion, members of communities in British North America were expected to attend religious ceremonies throughout each day. The amount of effort placed into their particular religion reflects the importance it held over the colonists and their societies. Although many factors affected British North America, religion impacted the colonies through its initial formation and political elements.

New England’s religious ideas influenced their relationship with the neighboring Native American people. Foremost, would be the Puritan-Pequot War. The Pequots had an alliance with the Dutch which caused problems for the English. A war eruppted from the murder of an English fur trader. This eventually led to the removal of surviving Pequots and their land was divided.

In this essay, I will be discussing religious and economic factors that had an effect on early colonists in North America. I believe the colonists were under strict religious rule, therefore effecting how they did their trading with the people around them, whether they be Indians or other Englishmen. I also believe the colonists used religion as a crutch to help them get through their hardships that they had to face. They came to America for religious freedom and I’m sure they took advantage of that. Although we may never know the exact thoughts of every man, woman, and child in North America during this time, we do have sufficient evidence regarding their religious practices and trading routes and habits.

Eighteenth century New England was a place of spiritual revival affecting more than just unevangelized colonists but people of all races and religions, including Native Americans. Between the years 1700 and 1820, there was a series of movements, known collectively as the Great Awakening, which consisted of localized religious resurgences that involved several denominations of Christianity. The objective of the Great Awakening was to spread the word of Christ to those who had not yet had a spiritual experience with Him. Native Americans were greatly exposed to the Great Awakening through a number of methods used by the colonists including sermons and the institution of Christian boarding schools for Native children. Each individual Indian responded to the revival in their own unique way, some denouncing Christianity, some embracing it, and some feeling indifferent towards it; however, throughout the course of the book, The Indian Great Awakening: Religion and the Shaping of Native Cultures in North America, author Linford Fisher reestablishes the idea that there was Indian conversion to Christianity, and explains that Native Americans at this time were more likely to affiliate themselves with the church rather than to fully convert.

As charters for the exploration of the New World were granted more frequently, the exposure of Christianity to the Native Americans increased. There were many motivations for colonists to head over to the Americas, but none was more popular than the reason of religion. People were escaping oppression through a population valve to America either fleeing oppression as a Protestant or as a Catholic depending on which nation they were coming from. Over time the colonists began to oppress the natives by gradually eliminating their culture. As noted by Virginia Colony Promoter in the 1600’s, William Herbert, “Colonies degenerate assuredly when the colonists imitate and embrace the habits, customs, and practices of the natives. There is no better

There are multiple reasons the Anglo-Americans began to turn on their mother country. I suppose it all starts with the cultural changes during the 18th century. These new ideals began to cause controversies among society. As time evolved, tension grew larger during the Seven Years War, which then led to the American Revolution. The Revolution is like a snowball effect. All the prior events built up causing Americans to turn on their mother country during the American Revolution.

White Christians cruelly imposed their religion on Native Americans. Celebrating Columbus day and Native American Day on the same day represents America holding onto hegemony. Columbus had the dream to expand and conquer. The dream that Columbus set forward versus the American’s dream differed in equality for every person. The American’s dream included the Native Americans, believing they were helping the Natives. Native Americans step forward vocalizing their culture and stolen identity. Native Americans were manipulated through government, religion, and culture.

When the Europeans came over the Atlantic ocean, and reached the shore of the wrong continent, they unknowingly changed the entire world to this current day. The English annihilated over ninety-percent of the Native American population. The Spanish wiped away an ancient religion. The Europeans changed the lives of every tribe they came into contact with. The thriving populations of the Americas had been doomed the moment European ships landed on the coast of their home.