Religion in the Colonies

NOTE: A Huguenot is a French Protestant Most people in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries were Christian. There were a few Jews, but mainly Christians. NOTE: A Huguenot is a French Protestant

Protestantism is the newest branch of Christianity Protestantism is the newest branch of Christianity. Until 1517, almost all European Christians were Roman Catholic. The Protestant form of Christianity developed during a movement called the Reformation. Martin Luther and John Calvin lead this movement. The Reformation caused lots of fighting and persecution in Europe. There was no such thing as “separation of church and state” back then. People were expected to follow the same faith as their leaders. When they didn’t, they were persecuted. Countries also fought each other over the “right” way to be Christian.

Most of the Europeans who settled North America were Protestants Most of the Europeans who settled North America were Protestants. The Protestants of New England were either Pilgrims or Puritans. In the rest of the colonies there were Quakers and Anglicans and a few other Protestant groups. Anglicans belonged to the church of England. In America today we call those people Episcopalians.

Let’s look at how Catholics, Anglicans (Church of England) and Pilgrims/Puritans viewed man’s relationship to God. Pilgrim and Puritan Churches These Englishmen felt that the Anglican church hadn’t changed enough from the Catholic church and that they needed to add the “priesthood of the believer” idea to their religion. These folks were NOT popular in England, so many of them moved to the colonies. The Pilgrims just wanted to break away from the Church of England completely while the Puritans wanted to “purify” or cleanse the Anglican church to make it better. The majority of English people viewed the people’s relationship to God like this. How different is this from Catholic? Many French and Spanish people were Catholic. Who was closest to God in their world view?

As we study about the colonies, look for the following… Pilgrims (Plymouth) Puritans (Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut) had strict control of who would be there Quakers (Pennsylvania) Anglicans (Middle and Southern Colonies) Catholics (Maryland) Jewish People Think about how these groups got along with each other and how they got along with England.

Religious Tolorance Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson founded Rhode Island The principle of Religious Tolorance was born. Recognition the others had the right to practice their own faith.

Religion and Society Religious beliefs influenced American society and education Representative Government was applied when the community would elect church leaders to guide the congregation. Puritans believed that everyone should be able to read the bible. They started the Public School system in America.

First Great Awakening 1740s A movement back to religion, emotionally and spiritually. All people are created equal in the eyes of God. Christianity is an act of free will not mandatory. Major People: Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield