The Cry Heard ‘Round The World Was A “Hallelujah”: The American Revolution’s Religious Legacy “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the” religious “bonds which connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s” unaffiliated “God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” The first words of the Declaration of Independence, edited for content, is the foundation of our great nation. It only makes sense that our nation started with a change in a thought process. The beginnings of every revolution is a shift in ideals, and the American Revolution is no exception. As any conservative Christian Republican will tell you, the United States was started on Christian ideals. The …show more content…
Although the colonies consisted of diverse groups of people, colonists were mostly Protestants, with the most religious colonies being in New England and down South . Part of the reason for this emphasis on religion in early Colonial life was because of the accessibility of the church. Very few activities in the community were outside the church grounds, and there was always something going on in the sanctuary, beyond the Sabbath and holy worship . Colonial churches were incredibly nuanced, which made having many different denominations of Protestantism fairly easy, pre-war. During and after the war, however, there are fewer denominations, even though colonists that identified as faithful remained similar, if not the same. The United States of America started out as a
The American Founding lasted for twenty five years from 1775-1800. During that time, the United States declared and won its independence, a gradual revolution in the political, social, and economic landscape was begun that was not completed by 1800. From the unofficial factions of loyalists and patriots, to federalists and democratic republicans with everything in between, the ideals of these two opposite sides changed very little throughout the time period of 1775-1800. It is undeniable however that these two political parties evolved to become stronger, and more cement in their concepts. Throughout the course of the revolutionary war, the opposing groups included loyalists, who flourished under the king, and patriots, who suffered
The Virginia colony differed from their native land New England, in many different aspects. The Virginia colony had slightly different views on government, religion and society. The colonist were members of the Anglican faith (a tradition within Christianity comprising the Church of England and churches which are historically tied to it or hold similar beliefs, worship practices and church structures). Which is the official Church of England.
Many, if not all, Americans today continue to cherish the Declaration of Independence, hailing it as one of the most significant artifacts in national history. “It speaks of liberty from Great Britain and sets the framework for the United States of America,” they may explain. This mindset, however, has intensified over the past year, its believers resorting to calls for major control against outsiders seeking a better life and bellowing their disdain for international assistance, yet another resurgence of hegemonic jingoism in the land that is “made for you and me.” Said pseudo patriots also continue to share a consensus regarding the right of revolution, in which they may rebel should the government turn to tyranny or fail to serve the public.
The Rhetoric that Revolutionized America The United States declared its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, the date that forever changed America. Angry about unjust taxes and mistreatment from Great Britain’s military, the colonists decided to take matters into their own hands and declared the ultimatum: they defied the British crown and founded a new government. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence from June 1776 to July 1776 that regarded the thirteen colonies as independent states of a new nation and explained the reasons why America separated from the British Empire. One statement does summarize what the colonist fought for as well as the the overall rhetorical strength of the document. The sentence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator
In New England, religion played a huge part in there colonies, settlers in Massachusetts
The earliest English colonies of the 17th century held strong religious beliefs. The different religions the colonists had, influenced and determined certain rule within a colony. Some colonies believed that religious and state rule should be combined while other colonies believed it needed to be separated. Many early english colonists believed it important to abide by religious rule and cast others out that decided to rebel against the religious norm. All of these things contributed to the way religion affected the rule in the early english colonies of the 17th century.
On one hand the fledgling government strived to apply considerably fair republican and Enlightenment ideas to the new system. Through this strong belief in the natural rights of life, liberty, and property, the colonists were able to unite and connect under one American identity. No longer did they identify with the despicable British, the colonists were now free, American men ready to reap , as stated in Document B, “the sweets of independence.” People were ready for the new promise of equality, with no all-powerful aristocracy or church to govern the day to day lives of the common. For example, Document D describes the freedom of religion in Virginia and thus showing a moderate progression toward the separation of church and state.
To Be A Nation Under God Or Not Americans have had a long history with religion. From the pilgrims fled England to seek religious freedom from the Church of England to the phrase “In God We Trust” on our currency. America’s origin was centered around what some believe the creator of everything. Hundreds of years later, America has been considered a nation under God, such as it is stated in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Gordon Wood achieved great success among his peers with the publication of his book, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, for which he was awarded the Bancroft Prize, as well as the John H. Dunning Prize, both in 1970. In it, Dr. Wood breaks down the process of how American political thought developed from early protests against British measures in the construction of the world's first federal republic. He does so by giving us in detail using a number of different sources, historical information on the reasoning behind the revolution. Dr. Wood walks us through how our government started with a monarchical society which was hierarchical, and later transformed, and emerged as a more recognizable modern society, in where a more commercially oriented and capitalistic government came to light. Wood writes, “[Americans] learned how to define the rights of nature, how to search into, to distinguish, and to comprehend, the principles of physical, moral, religious, and civil liberty, how, in short, to discover and resist the forces of tyranny before they could be applied.
There are significant differences between the New England, Middle and Southern colonies between the periods of 1600s to 1700s involving religion, economics and climate. Although religion did play a role between the three colonies the major differences were their climate, produce, slavery and encounter with Native Americans. The Middle and Southern colonies weren’t really dominated by a specific religion which allowed many other religions to come in. For the Southerners, it was mostly Baptists and Anglicans. As for the Middle colonies there were many religions such as Catholics, Lutherans, Jews and many others.
Colonists who came to America differed greatly in backgrounds and settled for various reasons: Colonist in the New England Colony came to America primarily because they were religious reformers and separatist seeking a new way of life; the Middle Colony was inhabited by a tolerant and diverse group of people with different backgrounds; And the Southern Colony was mainly inhabited by English aristocrats, small farmers, and slaves. Because each colonial region inhabited different groups of colonists the social development differed greatly in each region. New England was founded on the Puritan faith and maintained a strong sense of faith, family, and community. New Englan was very strict on enforcing a strong sense Puritan religion, the lifestyle of colonist revolved around the puritan faith, so much so, it was referred to the "city upon a hill". Contrasting greatly with the New England Colony, the Middle Colony was greatly social and religiously diverse.
The Constitution—the foundation of the American government—has been quintessential for the lives of the American people for over 200 years. Without this document America today would not have basic human rights, such as those stated in the Bill of Rights, which includes freedom of speech and religion. To some, the Constitution was an embodiment of the American Revolution, yet others believe that it was a betrayal of the Revolution. I personally believe that the Constitution did betray the Revolution because it did not live up to the ideals of the Revolution, and the views of the Anti-Federalists most closely embodied the “Spirit of ‘76.” During the midst of the American Revolution, authors and politicians of important documents, pamphlets, and slogans spread the basis for Revolutionary ideals and defined what is known as the “Spirit of ‘76”.
Religion played a great role in the establishment of the English colonies. The main reason the English traveled to North America was to escape religious persecution. Once the English settled in they created colonies, and established rules for a religious society. They would also try to convert Natives into Christianity, and they established universities to practice ministry. Once the English settlers got to North America, the House of Burgesses in 1619 said they would try to convert Native children specifically boys into a “ true religion”, then eventually teach them how teach them how to be Christian civil people.
New England’s founders were strict Puritans who did not have much tolerance for any religion except their own. Over time, as more and more immigrants came with increasingly diverse beliefs, the once stable foundation began to crack. Conflicts broke out and certain religious groups were banished which led to the development of other nearby colonies, for example Rhode Island and Connecticut. In the Chesapeake region, it was easier and there was not as much controversy over religion. The area started out as a refuge for Catholics, but over time many Protestants immigrated there and soon became the majority.
The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and simple protests paint the picture of the struggle endured and well-deserved rights that people gained for each other. The suppression and abuse felt by the upper hand before 1776 instigated a sense of rebellion among the people – bringing them together despite their status or beliefs. This diverse set of individuals led to the making of The Declaration of Independence, or in other words “a national symbol of unity” (Stockdale). America was born in hopes of changing lives for the better and offering opportunity after opportunity to anyone without discriminating. Although there was a long fight for freedom and equality, the Constitution was drafted to outline the inalienable rights that all