New World Faiths

New World Faiths

Many different factors affected the shaping of colonial America in the new world. Factors such as colonialism, geography, and economy affected the way North America was formed and dictated how other people look at colonial America. However, I believe the most pivotal factor in the establishment and success of Colonial America is religion. To say that religion played a role in American history is an understatement. Without religion, America would not exist as religion was a major factor in bringing the early colonists to North America. "We cannot understand early America without understanding religion...religion, in short, molded the New World Everywhere" This quote by Jon Butler, the author or New World Faiths, solidifies the fact that religion was an essential part of life in colonial America. The focus on religion then lead to several factions of religion being brought to Colonial America which created a diverse religious community among the colonists. The main reason religion was such an important part of life in colonial America because the prime reason for coming to America was for religious freedom. Also, the allure of religious freedom lead to religious diversity and this diversity shaped the economic and social aspects of society.

Although there was a small minority who came to colonial America for economic reasons, majority of the people left their homeland for religious freedom. They sought refuge from the Church of England who "vigorously suppressed radical Protestants" (Butler 102). The persecutions got so bad to the point where "In the 1580s, she simply forbade meetings by Protestant "schematics" who sought to split off from the official church, the Church of England..." and to the dismay of Protestants these orders were enforced "with remarkable success" (Burton 102). Despite the persecutions, the number of Protestants kept growing. Due to overwhelming opposition from the Church of England, Protestants realized that the New World was their only option. "The New World offered millions of "heathen" souls to be converted" (Burton 147). Upon arriving in America (the Pilgrims being the first to arrive in 1620), the journey began for the search of the "perfect" religion that could satisfy the needs of the people. Ironically, groups such as the Puritans persecuted those who veered out of their "ideals", creating the same situation they were in England. Eventually, "throughout the ear of European colonization, religious practices and beliefs in America were modified in response to changing circumstances. In turn, changing religious traditions altered the ways Europeans, Africans, and Native American experiences life. These powerful interactions made religion a major force everywhere in colonial American life." (Burton 234).

For the people living in colonial America,