The Influence of the Protestant Religion on the American Revolution

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There exists a long held belief that the United States of America was founded on the principles and doctrinal views of Protestantism. Modern age Christians have scoured historical documents in an effort to provide evidence for a Judeo-Christian foundation in the nation’s republican framework. Likewise, their opponents have written lengthy dissertations and argued over various media outlets that Christian conclusions are unfounded. Yet despite their endless debate, religion, especially Christianity, has and continues to play a fundamental element of America’s cultural, societal, and political makeup. The Second Great Awakening, the religious revivalist movement of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, ignited not only a religious revolution that transformed the American landscape, but it also developed and cemented the individualistic ideologies that have driven American thought in subsequent generations.

Between the French and Indian war and the Declaration of Independence different intellectual, religious, political, social and economic developments affected the colonists’ cultural identity. Before the French and Indian war the colonists shared similar ideological views with the British. The ideological views of most colonists changed and the majority of the nation sought independence. The self-interest in the relations of American Indians with Colonials and the slaves with slave owners was another major factor in the colonists’ identity. Colonials advocated for independence from the Crown, a political ideology in-line with colonial self-interest.

These differences led to variations in government, religious practices, social culture, and most notably the economic variants of northern and southern settlements. One of the largest differences in the early settlements of New England and the south were the people who started the settlements. Massachusetts, settled by Puritans and Plymouth settled by Separatists were settled for the main reason of freedom from the Church of England. In comparison, the southern settlement of Virginia was founded by a joint stock company, the London Company, whose main interest was economic gain for themselves and for their investors. Though colonies of New England and the south were both originally settled by predominately Protestant founders, the colonies differed in values and purpose.

Academic orthodoxy and the arminianizing of American theology by James E. Hamilton http://wesley.nnu.edu/WesleyanTheology/theojrnl/06-10/09-6.htm 4. Calvinism: The Meaning And Uses of the Term by Benjamin B. Warfield http://homepage.mac.com/shanerosenthal/reformationink/bbwcalvinism.htm 5. Liberty and Power in the Jacksonian Age by Jacob Halbrooks http://www.geocities.com/libertarian_press/jackson.html 6. May, Henry F. (1976) The Enlightenment in America. New York: Oxford University Press 7.

As James A. Henretta, David Brody, and Lynn Dumenil point out in America a Concise History, the Puritans believed that religion should have more power over the government. In other words the laws of the bible were more important then the laws of the state (45). In John Winthrop’s famous speech, “The Modell of Christian Charity,” he speaks of a few ideals, which sha... ... middle of paper ... ...American’s lives today has diminished, but I disagree. Religion still does play a large role in our lives, but it has gone through many reforms as it has many times in the past. People need something to believe in, whether it is Christianity, Judaism, Muslim or Science, and those beliefs have and always will influence the path that our society takes.

In the years between Hutchinson’s trial and Garettson’s conversion, American religion had changed. Democracy had changed it. While the impact of religion on democracy has been well documented, it is difficult to trace the impact of democracy on religion. Nevertheless, historians like Nathan Hatch argue that democracy was a significant influence on the development of American religion. Hatch identifies three marks of democratic spirit found in early American religious movements – redefined leadership, acceptance of spiritual experience, and grand ambitions.

By 1700, differences in religious convictions, wealth, and climate transformed the New England and Chesapeake Bay colonies into distinct societies with markedly contrasting cultures and values. Having fled England because of religious persecution, the Puritans placed a greater emphasis on religion. In contrast, the Chesapeake society, consisting mostly of men who were affected by the primogeniture laws, placed more importance on wealth and land. The climates of the two societies fostered distinct economies and new cultural practices, such as the tobacco wives in the Chesapeake region. Although the English made up the bulk of the Chesapeake Bay and New England societies, these influences shaped their ways of life and created two distinct cultures with values that continue today.