RELIGIONS RELIGIONS IN COLONIAL AMERICAIN COLONIAL AMERICA

Notes by B. Becker, adapted by N. Miller and T. ZiglerNotes by B. Becker, adapted by N. Miller and T. Zigler

Eastlake HSEastlake HS

AP US/Honors Amer LitAP US/Honors Amer Lit

16011650

1700

1620: Pilgrims arrive at Plymouth

1656: Quakers arrive in Pennsylvania

1690-93: Salem witch trials

Century to come: Great Awakening

1649: Maryland Toleration Act

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGION in the ColoniesRELIGION in the Colonies

• Important motive Important motive behind founding of behind founding of several coloniesseveral colonies

• Colonial religion Colonial religion part of the part of the continuing debate continuing debate dating from the dating from the ReformationReformation

• Puritanism very Puritanism very influentialinfluential

• Assumed union of Assumed union of church and statechurch and state

• Overwhelmingly Overwhelmingly ProtestantProtestant– 98%98%

Continuing debate from Continuing debate from ReformationReformation

• Issues: role of Issues: role of ministers, number of ministers, number of sacraments, sacraments, organization of the organization of the church, liturgical church, liturgical service, hierarchy, service, hierarchy, Presbyterians, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Congregationalists, Quakers, Quakers, antinomianism, antinomianism, ArminianismArminianism

• Changes in England: Changes in England: Bishop Laud, Charles I, Bishop Laud, Charles I, 39 Articles, Civil War, 39 Articles, Civil War, Levellers, Puritan Levellers, Puritan Commonwealth, Test Commonwealth, Test Act (1673), Toleration Act (1673), Toleration Act (1689), Glorious Act (1689), Glorious RevolutionRevolution

Influence of PuritanismInfluence of Puritanism

• Source of significant Source of significant ideas: ideas: – education for Bible education for Bible

ReadingReading– founding of Harvard to founding of Harvard to

educate ministerseducate ministers– higher law & moral codeshigher law & moral codes

• Covenant theology:Covenant theology:– boost to the idea of a boost to the idea of a

covenant between covenant between government and the government and the governedgoverned

• ““city on a hill” – an city on a hill” – an example of a sense of example of a sense of missionmission

Freedom from religious Freedom from religious persecution, not religious persecution, not religious

freedomfreedom• Pennsylvania: 1682: Pennsylvania: 1682:

Quakers: Wm. PennQuakers: Wm. Penn• Rhode Island: Roger Rhode Island: Roger

WilliamsWilliams– ExileExile– Relations with tribesRelations with tribes

• Maryland: Lord Maryland: Lord Baltimore: CatholicBaltimore: Catholic

• SC and NJ experimentsSC and NJ experiments• French HuguenotsFrench Huguenots• Catholic Spain and Catholic Spain and

FranceFrance

• Established Established churches in 9 churches in 9 colonies (tax colonies (tax supported)supported)– Anglican: NY, Md, Anglican: NY, Md,

Va, NC, SC, GaVa, NC, SC, Ga– Congregational: Congregational:

Mass., Conn, NHMass., Conn, NH– Quakers: PaQuakers: Pa

Union of Church & State: Union of Church & State: BacklashBacklash

• Fear of tyranny of Fear of tyranny of church and state, church and state, SPG (Society for SPG (Society for the Propagation of the Propagation of the Gospel in the Gospel in Foreign Parts) seen Foreign Parts) seen as a conspiracyas a conspiracy

• Too many for any Too many for any one church to one church to control, although control, although Mass. & Pa. Mass. & Pa. significantsignificant

• Examples:Examples:– Roger WilliamsRoger Williams– Anne HutchinsonAnne Hutchinson– Mary Dyer - QuakerMary Dyer - Quaker

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Dyer

• Roger Williams: RI Roger Williams: RI separate to separate to preserve the purity preserve the purity of the church, not of the church, not the statethe state

PeoplePeopleRoger WilliamsRoger Williams

AnneAnneHutchinsonHutchinson

• AntinomianismAntinomianism– Belief that “child of God” Belief that “child of God”

need not be restrained need not be restrained by civil or other lawby civil or other law

• Exiled from PlymouthExiled from Plymouth

• Death at hands of Death at hands of Indians was taken to Indians was taken to be divine retributionbe divine retribution

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Anne_Hutchinson_on_Trial.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Roger_Williams_and_Narragansetts.jpg

• Kicked out of Mass. BayKicked out of Mass. Bay

• Founded RIFounded RI

• Religious FreedomReligious Freedom

• Treatment of Native Treatment of Native AmericansAmericans

America Overwhelmingly America Overwhelmingly ProtestantProtestant

• 1775:1775:– 3142 church 3142 church

buildings – only 56 buildings – only 56 Catholic, 5 JewishCatholic, 5 Jewish

– More than 98% More than 98% Protestant (USA Protestant (USA now more than now more than 20% Catholic, 3% 20% Catholic, 3% Jewish)Jewish)

• Called the “Penal Called the “Penal Period” by Catholic Period” by Catholic historians historians – All colonies had All colonies had

anti-Catholic laws anti-Catholic laws at one timeat one time

CHANGES during the CHANGES during the Colonial PeriodColonial Period

• Multitude of religionsMultitude of religions• Calvinism influential, Calvinism influential,

especially evangelicalespecially evangelical• Energized by Great Energized by Great

AwakeningAwakening• Many unchurchedMany unchurched• Religions contributed Religions contributed

to rise of political to rise of political libertyliberty

• 4 largest:4 largest:– Congregational – Congregational –

21%21%– Presbyterian – 19%Presbyterian – 19%– Anglican – 16%Anglican – 16%– Baptist – 16%Baptist – 16%

Influence of CalvinInfluence of Calvin

• Emphasis on Emphasis on evangelical Calvinism: evangelical Calvinism: missionary work to get missionary work to get convertsconverts

• Emphasis on the Emphasis on the individual’s direct individual’s direct relationship with God relationship with God rather than the rather than the church’s corporate onechurch’s corporate one

• Emphasis on emotion, Emphasis on emotion, not doctrinenot doctrine

Influence of Great AwakeningInfluence of Great Awakening1730s-40s1730s-40s

• Reinvigorated Calvinistic Reinvigorated Calvinistic influence – society seen influence – society seen as egalitarianas egalitarian

• Jonathan Edwards: Jonathan Edwards: “Sinners in the Hands of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”an Angry God”

• William and George William and George Tennent & George Tennent & George WhitefieldWhitefield

• Missionaries to Missionaries to Westerners and IndiansWesterners and Indians

• In-FightingIn-Fighting– Old Lights vs. New LightsOld Lights vs. New Lights

• Colleges established to Colleges established to train ministerstrain ministers– Princeton – 1746 – PresbyPrinceton – 1746 – Presby– King’s College – ColumbiaKing’s College – Columbia

• 1754 – Anglican1754 – Anglican

– RI College – BrownRI College – Brown• 1764 – Baptist1764 – Baptist

– Queens College – RutgersQueens College – Rutgers• 1766 – Dutch Reformed1766 – Dutch Reformed

– -Dartmouth College-Dartmouth College• 1769 - Congregationalist1769 - Congregationalist

Jonathan Edwards and Jonathan Edwards and George WhitefieldGeorge Whitefield

• Methodist PreacherMethodist Preacher

• RevivalistRevivalist

• ““Sinners in the Hands Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”of an Angry God”

• Preached during Preached during “Great Awakening”“Great Awakening”

• Foe of the “halfway Foe of the “halfway covenant”covenant”

Many unchurched or DeistsMany unchurched or Deists• Many never Many never

attendedattended– 1776: Philadelphia 1776: Philadelphia

had 18 churches for had 18 churches for 40,000 people40,000 people

– Few churches or Few churches or missionaries in missionaries in backwoods areasbackwoods areas

– Deism widespread Deism widespread among the upper among the upper classesclasses

• Religion or philosophy Religion or philosophy that sees God reflected that sees God reflected in nature and known in nature and known through reason and through reason and personal reflection, or personal reflection, or unknowableunknowable

• Generally rejects Generally rejects supernatural events or supernatural events or divine interference in divine interference in human lifehuman life

• Generally rejects all scriptures, or accepts all as fallible human attempts to express ineffable Nature

• Generally rejects organized religion

Contribution to Political Contribution to Political Liberty:Liberty:

• James I: “No bishop, no James I: “No bishop, no king” – attack on the king” – attack on the church was attack on church was attack on the crownthe crown– Anti-PresbyterianAnti-Presbyterian– Democratic churches led Democratic churches led

to a demand for to a demand for democratic democratic governments. (Dang! He governments. (Dang! He knew that would knew that would happen!)happen!)

• Concept of natural Concept of natural laws, natural rights fed laws, natural rights fed by deismby deism

• Weak church Weak church organization and control organization and control spurred individualism spurred individualism (Calvin’s emphasis on (Calvin’s emphasis on individual)individual)

• Disestablishment came Disestablishment came only because it proved only because it proved too difficult to establish too difficult to establish a single church: they a single church: they tried!tried!– Came with Revolutionary Came with Revolutionary

WarWar– Virginia Decl of Rights Virginia Decl of Rights

(1776)(1776)– Virginia Act for Est of Virginia Act for Est of

Religious Freedom (1785)Religious Freedom (1785)

Separation of Church and Separation of Church and StateState

• Religious freedom Religious freedom was not original was not original desiredesire– Maryland Act of Maryland Act of

Toleration for only Toleration for only those who believed those who believed in the Trinityin the Trinity

• Church was Church was separated from separated from statestate

• But it ended up as But it ended up as religious freedomreligious freedom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:GROWTH1850.JPG

Colonial MapsColonial Maps

http://www.fasttrackteaching.com/T_M06_ColAmerCP300g15.gif

• Maryland: Catholic Maryland: Catholic (1649: Toleration Act)(1649: Toleration Act)

• Massachusetts Bay: Massachusetts Bay: PuritanPuritan

• Pennsylvania: tolerantPennsylvania: tolerant

• Plymouth: PuritanPlymouth: Puritan

• Rhode Island: tolerantRhode Island: tolerant

• Virginia: Church of Virginia: Church of EnglandEngland

• Spanish Florida: Spanish Florida: Catholic Catholic

• New France (lower New France (lower Canada): CatholicCanada): Catholic

• (later) Upper Canada: (later) Upper Canada: Church of EnglandChurch of England

Resources used:Resources used:

• Becker, Bruce, notes.Becker, Bruce, notes.

• Brewer, Jaques, Jones, and King. “Religion in Colonial America.” Brewer, Jaques, Jones, and King. “Religion in Colonial America.” http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/16071783/religion.htm, viewed Sept. 21, 2007http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/16071783/religion.htm, viewed Sept. 21, 2007

• ““Religion and the Founding of the American Republic”, Library of Congress. Religion and the Founding of the American Republic”, Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/, viewed 21 Sept 07http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/, viewed 21 Sept 07

• ““Gilbert Tennent”, http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0848163.htmlGilbert Tennent”, http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0848163.html

• http://www.quaker.org/wmpenn.htmlhttp://www.quaker.org/wmpenn.html