For millennia, man has persecuted himself for religion. This was due to his inability to accept other beliefs, which led to distrust, alarm, and suspicion. In its most extreme form, persecution resulted in expulsion from countries and genocide. However, as western man became more civilized, this behavior was deemed deplorable. Therefore, religious persecution morphed into a more socially acceptable pattern- discrimination. Thistransition stemmed from the establishment of the Constitution of the United States that guaranteed religious freedom. This reasoning is best illustrated by the trials by two religious groups, who lived at different times, in what is now the Northeastern United States. Religious instability plagued Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, as monarchs were excommunicated and countries faced both internal and external conflicts. In 1570, Catholic intolerance increased in England following the excommunication of Elizabeth I (Middleton 95). Anti-Catholicism acquired ground during the Anglo-Spanish War, as Catholic Spain crusaded against immense amounts of Protestant nations. Fearing the augmentation of Catholic rule, the English established severe penal laws, which imposed fines on Catholics attending mass and priests who were caught presiding. The Catholics felt obligated to protect their religion and sought refuge in the new world. George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, established a safe haven for Catholics in the colony of Maryland. A convert to Catholicism, Calvert was denied entry into the colony of Virginia, and obtained a charter from Charles I (McDougall 47). In 1634, the colony of Maryland was established and permitted various religious practices (MacCaffrey 270). Calvert encourag... ... middle of paper ... ...olumbia University, 1914. MacCaffrey, James. History of the Catholic Church in the Nineteenth Century (1789-1908). 2nd ed. M.H. Gill, 1910: 270. Middleton, Richard. Colonial America: a history, 1565-1776. 3rd ed. Wiley-Blackwel, 2002: 95. Quinley, Harold E. Anti-semitism in America. New Brunkswick: Transaction books, 1983: 1-10. Sarna, Jonathan D., and Jonathan Golden. "The American Jewish Experience in the Twentieth Century: Anti-semitism and Assimilation." Brandeis University: National Humanities Center: 1-2. Simmons, R. C.The American Colonies From Settlement to Independence (Norton Paperback). Boston: W. W. Norton & Company, 1981: 48. Williams, Julie Hedgepeth. Significance of the Printed Word in Early America Colonists' Thoughts on the Role of the Press. Westport, Conn: Greenwood P, 1999. Yezierska, Anzia. Bread Givers. New York: Persea Books, 1999.
Eliga H. Gould, The Persistence of Empire: British Political Culture in the Age of the American Revolution (North Carolina: Omohundro Institute, 2000),
Lefler, Hugh T., and William S. Powell. Colonial North America. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1973.
Henretta, James A., Rebecca Edwards, and Robert Self. America: A Concise History.( Boston: Bedford, St. Martin's, 2006),
Edward, Rebecca and Henretta, James and Self, Robert. America A Concise History. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2012.
Winter, J. (2002, Jan). The Death of American Antisemitism by Spencer Blakeslee. American Sociological Association. Retrieved Mar 2, 2014, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3089419
This paper discusses ethnic conflict between Jews and gentiles in the area of immigration policy. Immigration policy is, however, only one aspect of conflicts of interest between Jews and gentiles in America. The skirmishes between Jews and the gentile power structure beginning in the late nineteenth century always had strong overtones of anti- Semitism. These battles involved issues of Jewish upward mobility, quotas on Jewish representation in elite schools beginning in the nineteenth century and peaking in the 1920s and 1930s, the anti- Communist crusades in the post- World War II era, as well as the very powerful concern with the cultural influences of the major media extending from Henry Ford's writings in the 1920s to the Hollywood inquisitions of the McCarthy era and into the contemporary era. That anti- Semitism was involved in these issues can be seen from the fact that historians of Judaism (e. g., Sachar 1992, p. 620ff) feel compelled to include accounts of these events as important to the history of Jews in America, by the anti- Semitic pronouncements of many of the gentile participants, and by the self- conscious understanding of Jewish participants and observers.
Hertzberg, Arthur. (1973). The Jews of the United States. New York: Quadrangle/ The New York Times Book Co.
The First Amendment and Dealing with the Separation of Church and State. Is it unconstitutional for local, state or federal governments to favor one religion over another? another. Then what about the sand? Government can show favoritism toward religion by displaying religious symbols in public places at taxpayer expense, by sponsoring events like Christmas. concerts, caroling, by supporting the teaching of religious ideas, or even by supporting the teaching of creationism in public schools.
Gjerde, Jon, and S. Deborah Kang. Catholicism and the shaping of 19th century America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
Hewitt A. Nancy and Steven F. Lawson, Exploring American Histories. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2013. Print.
"Prayer has been banished from schools and the ACLU rampages to remove “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. Moreover, “Separation of Church and State” is nowhere found in the Constitution or any other founding legislation. Our forefathers would never countenance the restrictions on religion exacted today." -- Bill Flax, Forbes, 2011
Taylor, Alan. American Colonies: The Settling of North America (New York, New York: Penguin Books).
Religion was a fundamental part of colonial life, incorporated into Virginia society since the founding of Jamestown. (From Jamestown to Jefferson, 20-22). In fact, a major goal in the establishment of the colony of Virginia was to spread Protestantism, and religious ideals were incorporated into the laws and regulations by which the colony was governed. (From Jamestown to Jefferson, 25). The Church of England was the primary church in colonial Virginia and in the early days of the colony attendance at an Anglican Church was obligatory. Nonconformist denominations, such as Baptists and Presbyterians, began to grow, but they were allowed very little freedom to practice their own beliefs, and Anglicanism was enforced as the official state religion. Some choice was granted when the Crown’s Act of Toleration in 1689 allowed a degree of freedom of worship to nonconformists. (viginiamemory.com). However, members of these congregations were still required to be married in and pay taxes to the Anglican Church (virginiamemory.com). This allowed for a small measure of toleration, but did not truly institute religious freedom in the colonies. Until the Revolutionary War, the Anglican Church remained instated as the official religion on Virginia, and very little attention was given to the other denominations that were beginning to expand.
Throughout history, America has faced disagreements that led to various complications, one of them being religious freedom. Americans claimed to have always supported religious freedom and that the First Amendment backed that up. However, according to David Sehat, this was only a myth. The myth he argued that there was a moral establishment that constrained religious liberty, therefore American religious freedom was only a myth. Sehat overstated this claim because there have been many historic measures that have shown American religious liberty, such as the Second Great Awakening, the emergence of new religious movements, and religious liberty court cases.
Andrews, Charles M. The Colonial Period of American History Volume II: The Settlements. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1936.