Religious Tolerance In The American Colonies

Evaluate the extent to which religious toleration in the British North American colonies maintained continuity as well as fostered changed from 1607-1700.

The principles of liberty as well as property had long since been established when the monarchy began to recognize the Magna Carta from centuries prior. Through time, both tacit and explicit customs generated certain societal norms that established feelings such as “the rights of Englishmen” of which the American colonists felt was part of their heritage (McDonald). As the colonies were ruled by England they thought of themselves as Englishmen, and the concept of liberty in both America and England were similar by virtue of Common Law, recognized by the colonists. Although America was very similar to England, it began to really feel its independence through the unfolding of certain events over time.

Although our Declaration of Independence did not occur until the late 18th century, the founding fathers had already learned the lessons of congruity between government and religion. Their predecessors to the new world, the pilgrims, had famously sought religious refuge in the Americas in the early 17th century, roughly 150 years earlier. As the American Colonies were British domain, the founding fathers knew all too well about the Divine Right of Kings and the doctrine that monarchs derive their authority directly from God himself. As the worldly embodiment of the divine, monarchs could create and mandate doctrine, as Henry VIII had so boldly done in the early 16th century, well before America was colonized by the British (Rockett, 2004).

The religious intolerance found in the Bay Colonies lead to the colony of Rhode Island being founded by Roger Williams, a Separatist who desired to completely break away from the Church of England, unlike his Puritan counterparts. To make matters worse for the Puritan leaders, Williams also questioned the taking of the Native’s land and the authority the civil government held over religious practices. The Puritan leaders found the last point very dangerous because it undermined the exact idea of government to the Puritans. His radical views resulted in Puritans leaders banning him from the Bay Colony and from there he set off on his journey of finding and constructing the colony of Rhode Island. Due to the adversity Williams experienced while

Though the American colonists had not achieved a true, uniform sense of identity or unity by 1776, on the eve of Revolution, the progress towards unity and the inchoate idea of an “American” between 1750 and 1776 is inevitable in both existence and significance. Previous to the French and Indian War, America as a whole had been, more or less, loyal mercantile-based, and subservient to the British crown as British colonists in the New World; however, the Americans' sense of unity kindled and proliferated with the increased tax burdens and coercive Parliamentary decisions, while even until 1776,

Religion played an immense part in the development of the colonies in America. Due to the restricting rules and regulations of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe, several individuals sought to have freedom of religion. When the opportunity arose to go to the New World and begin a new way of living, many left Europe so that they might develop their own opinions of the world and experience freedom away from the Roman Catholic Church . This essay discusses how religion was involved in the founding of the colonies through the following topics: The Roman Catholic Church and how it caused many rulers to break away from its doctrines and start their own beliefs, how different doctrines and practices occurred in the colonies, and how important

1647 to 1776 was a time of growth in America, during this time colonist emigrated from Europe to America for several reasons, such as the hope to find relief from the war and rebellion occupying Europe, the chance to find bigger farms to make money, and most of all the chance to have religious freedom (“The Thirteen American Colonies” n.d.). Religious freedom was a very important part of the colonists’ lives and culture. According to “Religion and the Founding of the American Republic”, between 1700 and 1740, an estimated 75 to 80 percent of the population attended churches, which were being built at a headlong pace.

The idea that the colonial period (1600 and 1700s) was filled with religion, and morality is hardly true. It was a period that was faced with many hardships such as inequality to blacks and Indians, gender roles, and many others. Three dilemmas during the colonial period which stuck out to me as immoral were that women were expected to work very hard and complete certain tasks and any money they made was considered their husbands, the belief in witchcraft in New England, which was associated with serving the devil, and slavery. During the colonial period, women worked very hard.

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

The definition of religious liberty differs in every colony. Every colony has a different belief some believe in god and others don’t, but no one was free to be choose on what religion people wanted to follow. In the American colonies were largely non-Catholics. Although some other religions were practiced in most colonies, the Puritans in Massachusetts established a new law that no all religions could be practice. Pennsylvania was the first to follow those rules from court. Spanish colonies were Catholics, there was no other religion to follow. When people got tired and tried to protested about a new religion they would be persecuted and would send them to another place. French colonies, in their Colonial life was some large Catholic believers. Religious beliefs of the Dutch vary.

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.

From the earliest starting point the English pioneers appreciated a more substantial level of self-government then the other European pilgrims. As more explorers migrated to the colonies and rooted their lives in colonial America, they began to feel isolated from the world they knew. Consequently, this isolation from the English rule marked a very difficult start to a new beginning and necessitated a gradual transition from the English culture to the American culture. Moreover, with this new American culture, the newcomers throughout the colonies began to think differently than their English cousins. Having the Atlantic Ocean operate as a buffer from English influence, the primitive societies began to assimilate and vote on their ideas of freedoms, rights and tolerances, and put them into legal documents. Accordingly, this display of democratic character was the beginning deviation from England’s monarchic ways that set the New World on the path to a Democratic Society. Having the habit of self-government from the very beginning, the colonist readily accepted the New American culture with concepts such as “Majority rule”, “All Men are Created Equal”, and “Religious Tolerance”.

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

returned with a group of hired soldiers from Virginia and restored order. Governor Calvert died soon after in 1647. From his death bed, Calvert appointed Thomas Greene to replace him as governor and Margaret Brent the executor of his estate.

The British Colonists traveled over into the New World for society to work out in their own favor. However, this was not the case for these colonists; they carelessly came into the New World with the intent of having their own freedom of religion, being culturally intertwined with the natives already, and for their own overall independence economically . The British did not make a smooth transformation into this New World when they first arrived over seas, they brought chaos not only to the Natives but also the development of their colonies and themselves.