RELIGIONS IN COLONIAL AMERICA Notes by B. Becker, adapted by N. Miller and T. Zigler Eastlake HS AP US/Honors Amer Lit

1649: Maryland Toleration Act 1690-93: Salem witch trials 1620: Pilgrims arrive at Plymouth 1656: Quakers arrive in Pennsylvania 1601 1700 1650 Century to come: Great Awakening

CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGION in the Colonies Important motive behind founding of several colonies Colonial religion part of the continuing debate dating from the Reformation Puritanism very influential Assumed union of church and state Overwhelmingly Protestant 98%

Continuing debate from Reformation Issues: role of ministers, number of sacraments, organization of the church, liturgical service, hierarchy, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Quakers, antinomianism, Arminianism Changes in England: Bishop Laud, Charles I, 39 Articles, Civil War, Levellers, Puritan Commonwealth, Test Act (1673), Toleration Act (1689), Glorious Revolution

Influence of Puritanism Source of significant ideas: education for Bible Reading founding of Harvard to educate ministers higher law & moral codes Covenant theology: boost to the idea of a covenant between government and the governed “city on a hill” – an example of a sense of mission

Freedom from religious persecution, not religious freedom Established churches in 9 colonies (tax supported) Anglican: NY, Md, Va, NC, SC, Ga Congregational: Mass., Conn, NH Quakers: Pa Pennsylvania: 1682: Quakers: Wm. Penn Rhode Island: Roger Williams Exile Relations with tribes Maryland: Lord Baltimore: Catholic SC and NJ experiments French Huguenots Catholic Spain and France

Union of Church & State: Backlash Fear of tyranny of church and state, SPG (Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts) seen as a conspiracy Too many for any one church to control, although Mass. & Pa. significant Examples: Roger Williams Anne Hutchinson Mary Dyer - Quaker Roger Williams: RI separate to preserve the purity of the church, not the state http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Dyer

People Antinomianism Exiled from Plymouth Belief that “child of God” need not be restrained by civil or other law Exiled from Plymouth Death at hands of Indians was taken to be divine retribution Roger Williams http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Roger_Williams_and_Narragansetts.jpg Anne Hutchinson Kicked out of Mass. Bay Founded RI Religious Freedom Treatment of Native Americans http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons /b/b8/Anne_Hutchinson_on_Trial.jpg

America Overwhelmingly Protestant 1775: 3142 church buildings – only 56 Catholic, 5 Jewish More than 98% Protestant (USA now more than 20% Catholic, 3% Jewish) Called the “Penal Period” by Catholic historians All colonies had anti-Catholic laws at one time

CHANGES during the Colonial Period Multitude of religions Calvinism influential, especially evangelical Energized by Great Awakening Many unchurched Religions contributed to rise of political liberty 4 largest: Congregational – 21% Presbyterian – 19% Anglican – 16% Baptist – 16%

Influence of Calvin Emphasis on evangelical Calvinism: missionary work to get converts Emphasis on the individual’s direct relationship with God rather than the church’s corporate one Emphasis on emotion, not doctrine

Influence of Great Awakening 1730s-40s Colleges established to train ministers Princeton – 1746 – Presby King’s College – Columbia 1754 – Anglican RI College – Brown 1764 – Baptist Queens College – Rutgers 1766 – Dutch Reformed -Dartmouth College 1769 - Congregationalist Reinvigorated Calvinistic influence – society seen as egalitarian Jonathan Edwards: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” William and George Tennent & George Whitefield Missionaries to Westerners and Indians In-Fighting Old Lights vs. New Lights University of Pennsylvania – Only non-sectarian college in US

Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Preached during “Great Awakening” Foe of the “halfway covenant” Methodist Preacher Revivalist

Many unchurched or Deists Religion or philosophy that sees God reflected in nature and known through reason and personal reflection, or unknowable Generally rejects supernatural events or divine interference in human life Generally rejects all scriptures, or accepts all as fallible human attempts to express ineffable Nature Generally rejects organized religion Many never attended 1776: Philadelphia had 18 churches for 40,000 people Few churches or missionaries in backwoods areas Deism widespread among the upper classes

Contribution to Political Liberty: Weak church organization and control spurred individualism (Calvin’s emphasis on individual) Disestablishment came only because it proved too difficult to establish a single church: they tried! Came with Revolutionary War Virginia Decl of Rights (1776) Virginia Act for Est of Religious Freedom (1785) James I: “No bishop, no king” – attack on the church was attack on the crown Anti-Presbyterian Democratic churches led to a demand for democratic governments. (Dang! He knew that would happen!) Concept of natural laws, natural rights fed by deism

Separation of Church and State Religious freedom was not original desire Maryland Act of Toleration for only those who believed in the Trinity Church was separated from state But it ended up as religious freedom

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

Colonial Maps Maryland: Catholic (1649: Toleration Act) Massachusetts Bay: Puritan Pennsylvania: tolerant Plymouth: Puritan Rhode Island: tolerant Virginia: Church of England Spanish Florida: Catholic New France (lower Canada): Catholic (later) Upper Canada: Church of England http://www.fasttrackteaching.com/T_M06_ColAmerCP300g15.gif

Resources used: Becker, Bruce, notes. Brewer, Jaques, Jones, and King. “Religion in Colonial America.” http://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. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/, viewed 21 Sept 07 “Gilbert Tennent”, http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0848163.html http://www.quaker.org/wmpenn.html

People, cont. John Winthrop Long-time governor of Massachusetts Bay colony Led colony in Pequot War Thought Indians were degraded civilization, alienated from God

People, cont. Cotton Mather William Penn Boston pastor “Wonders of the Invisible World” Defended use of spectral evidence, belief in witches and evil powers Proprietor of Penn’s Woods (Pennsylvania) Established religious toleration Women’s rights and rights of minority races Written guarantee of rights http://www.quaker.org/wmpenn.html

People, cont. Mary Dyer George Whitefield 1660: Puritan who converted to Quakerism, and was hanged for defying Boston’s law forbidding Quakers in the colony Had met Anne Hutchinson Considered only woman in USA to die for religious freedom Preacher during “Great Awakening” Also credited as founder of Methodism, with John and Charles Wesley – but kept predestination evangelist

People, cont. John Wesley Preached in both UK and the New World Gilbert Tennent Preached in both UK and the New World Founder of Methodism Active social reformer Followers called “Methodists” because of their methodical method of study Presbyterian Revivalist leader during the “Great Awakening” Went on evangelical tour of England