The Importance Of Religion In Colonial New England

During the protestant reformation in England many people began to follow a different set of values that had an emphasis on divine example. These people who were proven to be saved believed they should not have to live among the “damned” people who felt differently. Eventually when King James I became head of the state and the church in 1603 he realized that if these Puritans were able to defy him with their religious beliefs than he would lose his grip on his subjects. This led to him discriminating against them and driving them to the New World. The most well-known pilgrimage was that of the Mayflower. However, the more successful puritan venture was the Massachusetts Bay Colony. This colony would put into motion ideas of government, religious tolerance, and the treatment of indians.

The middle colonies liked bread so much their nickname was the breadbaskets the new england mostly focused on religion.

The Massachusetts Bay colony was established in 1691 by William and Mary. This colony was very successful on the principal of economics. At first this colony was supported by the wealthy immigrants, which wasn’t needed soon enough

The start-up of the New England colonies were religious, as they were making a pilgrimage from England as the only acceptable religion in England at the time was Anglicanism and most of these settlers were English puritans. Even though they left England for religious reasons, most of the New England settlers would only allow religions closest to their own, in order to settle with them. There weren’t any specific groups yet, knowing the fact that most people in New England were poor until the 1700’s.

Colonial New England ideologies were strictly religious in their puritan beliefs. Clergymen were highly educated and forced religious practices in the name of being righteous and holy. Conformity to religion was not considered a rational choice to those that were forced unto American soil and forced to live a way of life so different than their own. Enslaved Africans brought with them their own religious, marriage and funeral, and medicinal practices. These practices prompted radical puritans to fear these religious traditions that were so unlike their own, condemning blacks and the various ways they expressed hope in oppression. McMillan states, “As blacks occupied the lowest rung within society, their ability to survive the ordeals of

Religion coming into the New World was always seen as a top priority. The major religious belief system varied between the Anglicans parish churches in Virginia, Maryland's religious toleration policies, and the Puritans attempts to establish a utopian community of believers. They each had different problems that they encountered as well.

In the seventeenth century, religious persecution ran rampant throughout Europe. In attempt to escape the oppression, many fled to less critical countries and territories. One of the popular refuges was colonial America. Settling in the north, these religious refugees made up a majority in the New England population, endeavoring to use it to form their Ideal society. They could use the new land to implement a new civilization reflective of their beliefs.

Economically, a large amount of money was spent on building new churches and financial aid was given to ministers. Massachusetts was the first colony to tax residents to support the Congressionalist Church. Also, during the Great Awakening, churches were making attempts to return those individuals who roamed away from the church. The Great Awakening was a revival caused by Jonathon Edwards during the enlightenment time period. The purpose of this revival was to inspire communities to become more religiously involved as pastors were feeling distant from god because of the lack of interest in religion at the time. The Great Awakening undermined the Old Clergy and increased both the number and competiveness of churches. Thousands of books were published and sold to bring the churches profit and therefore allowed more money to aid in the churches construction. Socially, religion brought people together. People of the same religion often worked better together which resulted in a stronger and closer community. Schools were developed for children to learn to read the bible and to teach young men leadership. In the New England region, dominance was shown with an impressive number of graduates, greatly excelling the southern colonies. Religion was so vital to these early colonists that it greatly affected social development, schooling, and even various basic rights we take for granted today. In Colonial America, one must have been a member

In 1682, Pennsylvania, the twelfth British colony, was formed. This colony, like the eleven others already founded, was instituted with a comparable style of government and its own questionable religious prejudices. Throughout the colonies, levels of religious understanding fluctuated, apart from a few exemptions. For example, the Middle Colonies had a great deal of open-mindedness when it came to religion, whereas New England had a scarce amount, if any toleration for religious independence at all.

Religious tolerance varied in the two regions based off the main religion that was shared between the settlers. Both regions had a few similarities when dealing with religion. The New England and Chesapeake settlements had established churches and taxed settlers in order to support the church. Each region also experienced the Great Awakening which created a lasting effect on both the colonies and colonist lives. Most of the New England colonies practiced Congregational religion, another category of Puritans, and anyone who didn't was either non-affiliated or Anglican. The Anglican religion was dominant in the Chesapeake regions. While the Chesapeake colonies had a degree of religious tolerance, the New England colonies provided almost little

Throughout history, a variety of religions have came and gone due to dislike and uncomfort. Before 1492, a majority of Europe was a part of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church controlled every aspect of a human’s life, for example: education, social status, and family matters. In 1517, Martin Luther had created the Protestant Reformation, which limited the power of the Catholic Church. Europe was now religiously divided, which created a larger diversity of religion to the colonies. Reasons such as Henry VIII decisions with the Catholic Church, English immigrants, and religious groups affected the relationship between religion and the colonies.

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

America in my opinion is one of the greatest nations to have ever been developed. It is rich in culture, complexity, and history. In colonial America however there were many societal themes that took place in Europe that would have a great impact on the development and growth of the early American colonies. I think that European politics and religion were the most important aspects that affected colonial development and their overall way of life because of religious impact on government hierarchy, political initiatives encouraging expeditions, and empirical holds on the colonies through taxation. Religion played a huge role in the development of all the colonies not just those ran by the English.

For about a large portion of a century taking after the Pequot War, New England was free of significant Indian wars. Amid this period, the locale's indigenous individuals declined quickly in numbers and endured serious misfortunes of area and social freedom. Amid the initial 75% of the seventeenth century, New England's indigenous populace tumbled from 140,000 to 10,000, while the English populace developed to 50,000. In the interim, the New England Puritans propelled a deliberate crusade to change over the Indians to Protestantism. John Eliot, New England's driving teacher, persuaded around 2000 to live in "imploring towns," where they were relied upon to embrace white traditions. New England Indians were likewise compelled to acknowledge

New England’s motive to settle there was for freedom of religion due to being in England if they worshiped other religions not been the Church of England, consequences would be imprisonment, fees, discrimination, and even execution. They had two main religious established, Pilgrims and Puritans, been two different religions. Pilgrims were the first permanent settlers on New England.1