Summary Of Religion In Nineteenth-Century America

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

By the middle of the 1700’s, a significant organization took place. From New England to Georgia, different groups of Baptists began to form churches. They had only one doctrinal requirement that united them, i.e., the believer’s baptism by full immersion in water; also, Baptists then had different theological doctrinal beliefs. Notwithstanding, in the 1700’s, Baptist leaders sought to unify and homogenize the Baptist theology; they founded colleges and formed associations. However, the cause of “religious liberty,” was also a unanimous and significant characteristic that united the majority of Baptists. Their participation within their communities distinguished from other denominations. The Baptists were not contending for tolerance but for absolute “religious liberty.” Theirs demand was not for their right only but for the right of all dissenters and non-conformists as well. Some historians affirm that religious liberty in America was accomplished due to the diligence of the American Baptist, which now is proven to be the greatest contribution to American science and statecraft.”11

In American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation, Jon Meacham explores the dynamic relationship between religion and government in America in the hope that contemporary America can learn from the past. The period covered by the book spans from 1620 until Reagan’s presidency in the late 1980s. However, Meacham focuses on the Founding Fathers stances and their continued impact on American politics. More specifically, the book details the conflict over the separation of private religious expression and the more neutral ‘public religion’.

The Fundamentalist-Modernist dispute was a religious dispute that occurred in the 1920s and 1930s within the confines of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America that ended up creating separation in most of the American Christian movements also. In fact, convinced that the literal truth of the Bible formed the basis of Christian belief, fundamentalists initiated a campaign to eradicate Protestant denominations of modernism and to fight the new individual freedoms that seemed to contradict traditional morality (Foner 788). What is more, the press portrayed fundamentalism as a movement of backwoods bigots. Yet, it was a national phenomenon. Fundamentalism continued to be an important strain of 1920s politics and culture (Foner

Patricia Bonomi’s Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America was not only well written, but also a very interesting read. She kept the writing style easy to comprehend, but not excessively simple while keeping a good grasp on the subject at hand. Bonomi gives us her view on not only religious argumentation, but also the religious events that kindled the flames of the American Revolution. She discredits the past historiography of the eighteenth century, in which there was a theorized religious decline, placing a rationalist century between the seventeenth century ruled by Puritans and the eighteenth century that revolved around Revivalists, which wouldn’t make sense. While Bonomi relies on many local studies

It is a fairly well known fact that the colonization of the New World in general, and more specifically, what would become eventually become the United States of America, was heavily based upon commercial endeavors. However, it was also heavily influenced by the desire of people to possess and preserve religious independence. Placing the potential for commercial success aside and focusing on the religious aspects of colonization, the proliferation of various religions over the course of colonial history is quite extensive and, by proxy, its’ influence upon developing colonial societies was far-reaching. Because of the historical significance of many different religions throughout the colonies, it would also suggest that religious diversity was likely equally impactful in eliciting change. All of this leads this author to speculate about how much influence religion had upon colonial upheaval over time and whether or not the ensuing dissent was a major factor in the lead up to The French and Indian War and eventual revolution of the American colonies. To uncover the significance and role religion played in the American colonies, a number of different articles were reviewed, each representing different perspectives, points of view, and empirical evidence about religion in colonial America.

While many are unaware, the Protestant Reformation continues to be impactful in how people in America today view freedom, government, and rights. In general, the Reformation has played a role on the construction of America’s social order and diversity, the day-to-day natural life, and religious freedom. Beginning with the American Constitution, the foundation of Christianity (unversed in any other part of the world), unites religious moral standards with the American way of thinking regarding cultural diversity, equal rights, religious belief, and sexual characteristics.

The Great Awakening of the 1730s significantly altered the social structure of early Americal colonial society. The laity’s internal subjectivity and passional experiences were validated in regards to religious sentiments. This novel type of engagement of the laity is significant, as previously voiceless social and racial classes were given the authority to proclaim and propagate their interpretations of biblical scripture. The New Lights’ emphasis on the transformative power of the Holy Spirit severed social norms and exalted and justified the personal experiences of commoners against that of the old order. Moreover, the revivals challenged the prevailing social and religious elite by questioning the sincerity of their religious convictions. The conservative religious rationalism was challenged by a novel and enthusiastic expression of faith characterized by personal experience and individual sensory experience. The New Lights, or the revivalist leaders, deplored the abundance of inequality between rich landowners in relation to poor and indebted frontier farmers. I interpret the revival as an intellectual severance from the old order, or the Old Light’s doctrine’s of salvation. Jonathan Edwards, the revival’s prominent contributor, launched an attack against the rationalism and conservatism of the old religious order and emphasized a New Birth, characterized by passional and experiential conversion. My analysis of the Great Awakening brings forth evidence that the New

Religion played a key role in colonial America and caused a great deal of conflict and confusion among the colonist. There were religions in the New World that did not tolerate each other. Some people, like the Quakers, wanted religious freedom from the Puritans. Some people believed in strange superstitions that alienated non-believers. Some people believed government and religion should be the same although government eventually became separated from religion. If the New World in the colonies was to be successful for the most people, the conflict between the many religions would have to be addressed.

When settlers first arrived in the United States religious freedom was a priority. However, the freedom they sought was only extended to their own particular religion instead of universally. The entire community went to church and participated in religious activities (Source A). The entire society was based around the church and it’s teachings. The Puritans were the most prevalent

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.

In Europe, the long nineteenth century, (1789-1914) was a tumultuous era of political, economic, and social revolution which created an increasingly secular culture. Europeans of all races and classes looked outside the church to solve societal and familial issues. Gifted intellectuals proposed new philosophies on human thought and behavior, while innovative communication allowed ideas to travel quicker and easier than ever before. By the early 1800’s, Europeans began to question the role and necessity of the church and religion in their lives. Revolutionaries developed political and social

“American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us,” by Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell, and “America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity,” by Robert Wuthnow, give different thoughts to religion and politics in the United States. Putnam and Campbell utilize the concepts of shocks and aftershocks to highlight religious changes in the United States. On the other hand, Wuthnow uses observations to focus on the encounters of religious diversity in the United States. Wuthnow compares American Christianity with other popular religions in America and how Christianity has affected the perception of religion. Putnam and Campbell’s “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us” is a more persuasive assessment of American religion and politics.