Colonial America Religions Essay, Research Paper

Religious differences in colonial America were apparent and inevitable toward

creating a diverse society. Differences in religion, and way of life, and the

lasting effects of these helped to shape The United States. Branches of the

Puritan and Quaker faiths were the trailblazers for American diversity. Most of

the first religions to begin the colonization of the America?s were not just

common Protestants. They had not only broken ties with the Catholic Church, but

now were severed from the Anglican Church of England. Faiths such as Puritan

(which also had many branches) and Quaker were the front runners for American

colonization. (2) Quakers espoused that the Church of England violated the

spirit of Christianity as much as the Catholic Church. They were fueled to

reform because of the new European Renaissance feeling, which called for the

literal translation of the bible, and not having a sole person lead the church,

such as a king, or a pope. They said that people could worship god directly,

without having to go through a clergy member. They believed in frugality, and in

dressing and living extremely plainly. The tithes paid by the members of the

Anglican and Catholic churches, to them seemed to be excessive, and unnecessary

for worshipping god. They refused to attend regular services for church, and

were persecuted with fines and confiscation of property by English authorities.

This forced them to leave England for a more tolerant society. The Puritans,

also former Anglicans, wished to purify the Church. They were more devout than

the Quakers, in that they believed in clergy, and in formality, but they

didn?t like some of the ceremony that was adopted by the Church of England,

that was similar to that of the Catholic Church. They were more for the literal

interpretation of the scripture than a clergy member interpreting it for them.

These people weren?t nobility, but simply the working men and women of

England, many of which came from Cambridge University. They came to be regarded

as gloomy fanatics because they didn?t believe in societies simple pleasures,

such as gaming and card playing. These acts were frowned upon by them. It was

said that they objected to bear baiting, which was a game that required the

slaughtering of a bear, not because of the humanity issue, but because of the

pleasure the spectators got from watching it. Puritans included several

religions that branched from them, such as Presbyterians, Separatists and

Congregationalists. Another, more radical group of Puritans was the Anabaptists

who believed that true religion was solely for adults, and that baptism included

the entire immersion of the body in holy water. They also believed in the strict

accordance of church and state. (5) When the first religious pilgrims came to

the new world in 1620, to Plymouth, Massachusetts on the Mayflower, it began a

wave of such trips. America still had a forming tolerance level, and government,

therefore it still had plenty of time to be shaped by these initial settlers.

They brought along their new ideas on religion and government. England, because

they controlled these colonies, began to realize that toleration was needed.

They then passed the Toleration Act in 1689, which said that religious diversity

was allowed. This, however did not help the feeling of prejudice in England,

forcing even more people out. One group that was still persecuted was the

Quakers. Lead by William Penn (the Pennsylvania namesake) they journeyed to

America. When they set up their colony here, even Native Americans, and

Catholics were welcome, and friends with the Quakers. Their formal name was

actually the Religious Society of Friends. This helped to instill this feeling

of friendship into American societal beliefs. Puritans, and Separatists had been

leaving England for years, and were not as tolerable as their Quaker

counterparts. The Puritans, who were based mainly in Massachusetts, believed

that their religious convictions were the only right way. They were not tolerant

of other ways of thinking. Church and state were one, and clergy members lead

the colonies. People were very conformed, and did not associate with the other

colonies, religious or otherwise. They rarely met for any reason other than

church, and were not known for having leisure time. This strong diversity

between the colonies, surprisingly did not create too much controversy but

rather made America more tolerant in the long run. There was even a colonial

toleration act, called the Maryland Toleration Act passed in 1649, that was

ahead of the British one, because of the need for it in the colonies more than

in England. (3) The governments of the new colonies in America were quite

differing. The Quakers, lead by William Penn, set up a democratic form of

government in which everyone had rights that were protected. Good relations were

made with the Native Americans. This included many peace treaties. The most

famous of which was signed on June 23, 1683, on the banks of the Delaware River,

and stated that the colonists and Indians would "live in love as long as

the sun gave light." This was a revolutionary idea of this time of

aristocracy and sovereignty. Quakers were well known for being very tolerable,

and respectful of most lifestyles. The only exception to this was them not being

very empathetic to Catholics, however they did allow them to live in their

colonies. Banking, Insurance, and book keeping were emphasized, more than

anything else, besides religion. However, religion was brought into state

affairs. Monthly meetings that were to attend to colonial business, were

actually prayer services. This meant that there was not a strict separation of

church and state, and in modern democracy. The Puritan government was one that

was entirely based on the church. Everything was under constant supervision.

They were easily manipulated because of conformity, and punishment was severe

for "sinners," as is demonstrated when the Puritans have the Salem

witch scare which resulted in many hangings. Education was the highest stressed

issue for the Puritans, and banking was thought of as unimportant. Relations

with the natives weren?t particularly good. Puritans tried to avoid contact

with these strange new people, as much as possible. A Puritan government was not

particularly tolerant, and was more like a hierarchy because of extensive clergy

involvement in everyday life. (1) Though governmentally, the Quakers appeared to

be in the right, Puritans were much more advanced, educationally. Quakers did

not stress education, at all. They believed that all you needed to know could be

taught through the church, and scripture. They believed that the scripture could

be read by a select few, to the public. They did not see the point in educating

the people, when all that was needed to know was in the bible, and in sermons.

They solely relied on inspiration and spontaneity for guidance. This idea did

not carry through for long. Eventually the Quakers determined that in order to

be an effective society, people had to be educated. This lead to the creation of

schools and Universities under the Quaker faith. The first of which was simply a

primary and secondary school called the Friends? School. Eventually,

Universities were created in and around Philadelphia. Puritans had been

educating since they came to the new world. They believed that education was

very important, so that children could grow up reading and understanding the

bible. There had always been schools in Puritan colonies, and in rural areas

they had tutors for their children. Puritans also began to open their own

Universities, such as Harvard, and Yale. Education remained strictly religious

until after the American Revolution. This educational importance that was

espoused by the Puritans began to shape the education of the entire country. In

1647, and 1650, Massachusetts, and Connecticut passed laws mandating the

education of children. They said that if a parent did not enroll their child in

school then a business man could automatically take the child into their

apprenticeship. Free education was being offered in many places in order to

promote learning about the bible, and going into the ministry. By 1700, 70% of

men, and 45% of women could read and write in America, which was an incredible

statistic. This also increased the number of missionaries, in America, because

of the increase in educated people. (1, 35) The only real conflict that occurred

in the new world was with Native Americans, and the occasional squabble within a

colony. The Native American?s weren?t even a very large threat, yet, because

expansion had not reached it peak. Because of the tolerable feeling of the

Quaker colonies, and the hermetic feeling of the Puritan colonies, America

remained a very peaceful place to live, being fairly non-confrontational.

America has picked up many of these original colonial ideas. The Puritans

especially helped to form our modern day theories, and standards for education.

They began the first educational establishments in this country, and introduced

the strict discipline needed to succeed in learning. Many of their schools, such

as Harvard, are still in use, and are very respectable. The Quakers, too had a

direct impact on current American society. Their tolerant ideas helped to spread

the ideals of America. This country was built on tolerance, and democracy. Our

Constitution was drawn up with these ideas, and the reason so many people came

to the new world was because of the political situation here, and it?s

benefits. Because of their respect for other religions, and races, America was

built on good values. (4) By coming to the new world because of injustice, the

original American colonists helped to create a new country that was religiously,

and socially diverse, and generally, and politically accepting. The injustice

that they withstood helped to insure that America would not be like that. The

original settlers to America helped to shape the way we are, today, and the way

we are going to be in the future. The ideals they stressed, and fought for

freedom of, have been kept with us all, and formed The United States in a

democratic, and tolerable way.

1. *Kaminkow, Jack and Marion. Emigration From England to America

(1718-1759). Magna Carta Book Company, 1981, Baltimore, Maryland. 2. Keller,

Allan. Colonial America: A Compact History. Hawthorn Books, Inc, 1971, New York,

New York. 3. *Kupperman, Karen Ordahl. Major Problems in American Colonial

History: Documents and Essays. D.C. Health and Company, 1993, Lexington,

Massachusetts. 4. McFarlane, Anthony. The British in the America?s

(1480-1815). Longman Group Limited, 1994, New York, New York. 5. Middleton,

Richard. Colonial America Second Edition (A History, 1585-1776). Blackwell

Publishers, 1996, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 6. Semonche, John E. Religion and

Constitutional Government in the United States. Signal Books, 1985, Carrboro,

North Carolina.