1. Religion (Christianity) (US and Cultural Landscape)

2. The Distribution of Christianity in America

3. I want to talk about this map: good map for distribution/clustering of diff denominations; will help u understand how they are distributed + why.
but every map has weaknesses
First, what type of map is this? (using the diff colored shades; darker shades = 50% or more % of reported religious adherents)
Choropleth
Based on this map, would you say Catholicism is strong?
Would you say Catholicism is one of the predominant religions in the U.S.? (NO)
This map is mid-leading bc it overstates the strength of Catholicism in the US.
Shows the dominant religion in each county, but the county is overall more Protestant than Catholic
(shows counties where Catholics are over 25%)
Draw on board:
25% Catholics
20% Methodists
20% Lutheran
20% Baptist
15% other
¾ - 75% Protestant
Whst color would the map color this county? (Catholic – blue)
YET, 75% of ppl are Protestant, but it would come out with a Catholic coloring.
Map is accurate, but slightly deceiving in showing the strength of Catholicism.

4. Map is mid-leading, overstating the strength of Catholicism
Shows dominant religion in each county, but the county is overall more Protestant than Catholic.
counties where Catholics are over 25%.
25% Catholics
20% Methodists
20% Lutheran
20% Baptist
15% other
75% of people are Protestant, but it would come out with a Catholic coloring. Map is accurate that Catholicism has more adherents than any other religion, but it is slightly deceiving

5. Predominant Ethnicity in each of the counties:
Predonominant ethnicity in each of the counties.

6. What 4 clusterings of religion should we be investigating?
Baptist  SE U.S.
Mormons  Utah/Great Basin/Desert West
Lutherans  upper Midwest/N. Great Plains
Catholics  (2 diff clusters: how are we going to describe this cluster?) (1) S.W. + (2) Northeast; large cities of Rust Belt (vernacular area)
- Cleveland, Milwaukee, Pittsburg, Detroit = Rust Belt
Let’s look at this map. What 2 ethnicities is Baptist most assoc. with? (African Americans + Americans);
Who are ppl who self identify as American Americans? – Scots-Irish (consider themselves frontiersmen)
What do we know about the Scots-Irish? (settled inland – Appalachian mountains, frontiersmen, often poor – coal miners, poor farmers)
Let’s stereotype these ppl (Scots-Irish): what is their viewpoint of outsiders/government/other ppl controlling their lives/outside control?
If gov. came in and said, “You need to put a fence around your property, what is their reaction going to be? What is their viewpoint of outside control gonna be (I can do whatever I want. This is my land, get off!)
Tea Party ppl, government is bad, don’t like anyone telling them what to think or do.
Part of their nature.
**Super important why Baptist denomination gets a foot-hole.
Has a lot of autonomy (what does autonomy mean? If you’re autonomous, what does that mean? (auto?; independent, doing things for yourself/ auto-pilot / by yourself)
Which 2 protestant denominations have the most autonomy? (Baptist + United Church of Christ)
Baptists have huge autonomy / make all their own decisions.
Baptist gets viewed as an indigenous religion, one that the southerners control themselves. “I’m controlling my own destiny”
Didn’t start in America (from England), but when it comes over here, many ppl start to consider it as being indigenous + an “American” religion
If Catholics want to build a new parish, can they just build one? --- No, who do they need approval from? (pope or cardinal or archbishop – it’s very hierarchical)
Same thing for other Protestant denominations (you have to get permission)
Baptists - you don’t need permission to do anything. Community figures it out.
If community is figuring it out for yourself. do you think you controlled by foreigners or native to you?
Baptist becomes viewed as an indigenous religion, one that the southerners are controlling themselves.
Goes right along with their mindset: “I’m controlling my own destiny”
Anglicans + Episcopalians viewed as being controlled (esp before American Rev) by Europe, the Baptists are viewed as controlling their own destiny/religion. This is an AMERICAN religion, even though it didn’t start there.
Very open to letting blacks start churches; worship with black ppl; didn’t follow segregation rules like mainline Protestants did.
Unfortunately, that will change.
Chief part of this is they are making their own decisions/control of their own policies, control over what they think.
During Civil War, what are white Baptists going to start to favor/ supporting?
Slavery
Don’t like the northernerns abolitionists/”do gooders” telling them what to think ( that is outside control)
so many of the white Baptists start to approve of white supremacy/slavery/ start to make biblical excuses why slavery is good for black ppl and why they deserve to be enslaved.
After Civil War, when black ppl r free, blacks leave + form breakaway churches bc they have local autonomy as well;
So rather than be controlled, as they have been for generations by white ppl, they form their own churches
Break away, but still consider themselves Baptist.
Two groups, diametrically opposed to one another, not friendly by any means, but both consider themselves to be Baptist bc there is huge local autonomy – they control their own churches.
**Being Baptist becomes part of regional identity/pride (like what being Catholic is to a Pole or an Irish person)
___________________________

7. 4 main clusterings of religion in U.S.?
S.E. U.S. = ?
Baptist
Utah/Great Basin/Desert West = ?
Mormons
Upper Midwest/N. Great Plains = ?
Lutherans
Catholics = ? (2 main clusters)
Northeast / large cities of Rustbelt
Southwest

8. American Religious Concentrations. Why?
Baptist → Southeastern U.S.
Pre-Revolutionary War, Baptists had huge local autonomy
seen as more native, more “American” than Anglican
welcomed African-Americans who were rejected by mainline Protestantism, emphasized equality before God.
Later during Civil War Era
Appealed to southern whites as part of regional pride
came to support slavery, white supremacism, etc. = “Southern Baptists” = reflects autonomy!
Blacks leave to form breakaway churches but still self-identify as “baptist” = reflects autonomy!
Therefore, clustering reflects local autonomy + regional pride
Strong regional clustering of black and white southerners
Lack of in-migration (due to little industrialization, slave-based economy) maintains homogeneity of “baptists”
Draws box on board. Let’s say this is a territory: territory that is predominantly Baptist.
What could happen to change the makeup of this territory? How does it stop being majority Baptist? (they could convert, unlikely; OTHER PPL MOVING IN)
Other ppl moving in --- Does that happen in the south? (common way you get a change in demographic makeup)
NOOO….
When would the big wave of Catholics to south be – (they could change the south)?? (early 1900s; southern + eastern European bar: Catholics, Italians, Poles – could change the south)
Do they? Why not?
Southern/Eastern Europeans do not come to south bc they do not have industrial jobs in south.
Economy based on agriculture/plantation – slaves + sharecropping after 1865.
Those are hard systems to compete with. No industry, ugly attitude not in favor of outsiders, segregated (Jim Crow), no industry, ppl don’t move in.
THEREFORE, South remains southern Baptist
MORE RECENTLY:
Rust-Belt to Sun-Belt migration (FL is no longer mostly southern Baptist – Cubans, Jewish ppl to south FL)
Virginia is not a blue state, NC is purple (50/50 state); shows you that other ppl besides southern Baptist are moving to south (reflects Rust Belt to Sun Best migration--- more recent thing)

9. Lutheran  Upper-Midwest/Northern Great Plans
Have you seen movie Fargo? (been up to Winsonsin) They have accents bc they have Scandanavian/northern German accents.
Why would you choose to live in the Dakotas?? (go back to migration spreadsheet + tell me what is a pull factor for the Dakotas??)
What made land so cheap in the Great Plains in the mid-late 1800s??
The Homestead Act - ppl move to Great Plains bc of Homestead Act.
You could move anywhere in the Great Plains (Kansas, Nebraska); why did the Swedes + Norwegians pick the Dakotas?
Scandanavian ppl don’t mind moving up north bc of cultural preadaptation (being used to the climate)
What does knowing the climate especially useful for? What type of job? (agriculture; you can farm successfully/productively – esp when farming it-- where other ppl couldn’t)
Why do Lutherans still dominate the upper mid-west?
bc no one wants to live in the Dakotas bc there are no major cities/no urbanization/lack of jobs/it’s cold + dry) – you rly need to be culturally preadapted to farm in that area.
Dakotas are the coldest place in U.S. Discourages migration of other immigrant groups.
Not easy farming; rly dry + cold – have to be culturally preadapted to know how to farm there.
So, when all of these Catholics + Eastern Orthodox people come, they are not moving to ND, they move to Rust Belt states for factory jobs + where it is not as cold… so Lutherans remain dominant in upper-midwest.

10. American Religious Concentrations. Why?
Lutherans → Upper Midwest/Northern Great Plains
Northern Germans and Scandinavians bring Lutheranism
Cultural preadaptation attracted Northern Europeans
Migrants are attracted to a climate similar to their homelands because they know how to use that climate productively.
THEY KNOW HOW TO FARM IT!
RRs and state govts. recruited farmers (mid-to-late 1800s)
Homestead Act
Chain migration occurred as relatives continued to arrive.
Remained dominant because of a lack of in-migration
During the next great wave of European immigration (early 1900s), few new immigrants with different religions came to Northern Great Plains
lack of industrialization, urbanization and/or economic opportunity besides farming
Physical environment is arid (lack of water) and cold which discouraged the in-migration of other religions (non-Lutherans)
Cultural homogeneity of Lutherans maintained

11. We are going to finish up today by talking about the Mormons
We are going to finish up today by talking about the Mormons. See how they are clustered here in Utah.
Find your own article on the history of the Mormons. I am not going to go too in depth into Mormonism.

12. American Religious Concentrations. Why?
Mormons → Great Basin, Desert West, Utah
Internal migration for religious freedom, avoid persecution
Google Mormons, Joseph Smith, polygamy and Brigham Young
Remained dominant because of a lack of in-migration
Not industrialized/urbanized
Inhospitable climate = very dry/arid desert.
Cultural homogeneity of Mormonism maintained.
As families grow (high CBR) diffuses (relocation) outward to neighboring states (Idaho, Nevada etc.)
Mormonism is indigenous to US – started in upstate NY;
founded by man named Joseph Smith (good looking guy, attracted a lot of ppl to his ideas, a lot of outsiders)
According to Jospeph Smith, an Angel visited him
told him about a tablet in the ground, he dug up + the angel helped him translate it
Basically, it adds a 3rd testament to the bible (Book of Mormon) ; Old Testament – story of Jews; New Testament = story of Jesus + his disciples
Has fantastical element to it that sounds odd to most Christians, but he attracts a lot of ppl with charisma
Most ppl who hear his message think he’s odd, so wherever he goes he faces opposition, often violent.
Start to move out to frontier/midwest in large groups of 100+ ppl (coming in with 100 ppl and original villages only have 200 ppl, so the Mormons are overpowering as they travel westward)
So Mormons are 1/3 of the population; original people are scared of the new outsiders/Mormons with diff views
What kind of view did Mormons used to have that is out there (they no longer practice this)?
Polygamy – having multiple wives
So they move around, make it to Minnesota, where they are met with violence.
Move into Illinois where they create a city that is rivaling the size Chicago (Chicago still small in 1840s)
In that city of IL, Joseph Smith is killed by a mob
Succeeded by his 2nd in control – Brigham Young.
Brigham Young’s idea is, we will never be accepted in mainstream American society, so we must move beyond the control of U.S. (US didn’t own Utah at the time – fight Mexicans over it), where no one else lives/wants to go ;
They sent scouts out and scouted out Salt Lake City Valley; had communications with Indians to ask whether or not they could make land productive. They determined they could.
In 2 ways of wagon trains, tens of thousands of Mormons went to Utah + established a society known as Deseret.
Later on, US absorbs it, it becomes state of Utah. The Mormons in return give up polygamy. Mainstream Mormons do not practice polygamy; Mormons have blended into American life.
How do we know that Mormons have blended into American life?
(very recent fact; why is 2012 a huge sign Mormons are mainstream in American life?
Mitt Romney is a Mormon; sign that Mormons have been assimilated.
Harry Reid Dem Senator from Nevada is a Mormon. (just retired)
Orrin Hatch, Rep Senator from UT – Mormon
Donny and Marie Osmand (teenage singing stars in 70s)
Mormonism now part of American mainstream, tho it started out as not.
Mormons have lots of kids + they have relocation diffused to a lot of states (Idaho, NV) – relocation diffusion

14. American Religious Concentrations. Why?
Catholics (2 clusters)
Northeast, Rust Belt
Germans (some Southern Catholic) & Irish Catholics (mid-1800s)
Early 1900s immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe
See migration for push/pull factors for above groups.
Why Northern cities?
Industrial jobs
Southwestern US/US-Mexican border
How does this reflect Gravity model and Ravenstein’s laws?
Proximity to Latin American source area of origin
Repeal of quota laws/Latin America in stage 2
Farm laborers, illegal immigration
Catholic Hispanics also in large cities outside of SW.
Reflects size factor in Gravity Model
Ravenstein Law #

18. Small Groups: Group 1: Gigi, Omar, Natalie, Kendall
Group 2: Leeloo, Mariah, Daniel, Austin
Group 3: Grace, Arturo, Emily, Rabia
Group 4: Rabia, Josue, Kendall, Jaden
Group 5: Zully, Tashanti, Kathy, Diana
Group 6: Taniya, Alex, Agustin, Julian

19. Small Groups 5th Period Group 1: Erriana, Ivan, Christine, Osvaldo
Group 2: Samy, Trinity, Ashley, Anthony
Group 3: Alejandro, Sarah, Justin, Eden
Group 4: Nataly, Iaitzy, Deahvion, Emily
Group 5: Sofia, Katie, Alanis, Olegario, Melina
Group 6: Jacob, Giselle, Preyonna, Destiny