Religion in America
CA Standard 11.3
McElhaney
2008-09
Prior Knowledge Questions
► Prior
Knowledge:
► What is the status of religion in the US today?
► (Facts that you know about religion in America
today.)
►
► What
is the nature of Religion and Government,
politics, and their interaction?
► We are going to learn about the foundation of
Religion in America:
11.3 Students analyze the role religion played in the
founding of America, its lasting moral, social, and
political impacts and issues regarding religious
liberty.
Essential Question:
How has Religion impacted the development of the United
States?
1.
What are the basic facts related to religion in the colonial
period?
2.
How are religious values reflected in the American culture
and government?
Culture:
Government:
3.
How did the Religious revivals of the First and Second Great
Awakening impact American culture?
4.
Religion in America has not always been positive. How
have Americans responded to “Other Religions?”
Key Terms/Vocabulary to know
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Diversity of Religions = religious
pluralism
English Religion- Protestants
Puritans (pg 24)
“Sinners in the hands of an angry
God”
Church of England
Presbyterians
Maryland = Refuge for Roman
Catholics
Pennsylvania-Quakers
Religious Values in Government
Anti-monarchy
Self-rule
Equality
Religious liberty
Civil and human rights
Abolition of Slavery
(anti-slavery)
17. Religious
Values in Culture:
18. Family-centered communities
19. Individual responsibility
20. Work ethic
21. First Great Awakening (pg 35)
22. Evangelism
23. Jonathan Edwards
24. Abolition
25. Second Great Awakening
26. Sectarian (Religious) Intolerance
27. Mormons (pg. 131)
28. Anti-Catholic sentiment (142)
29. Anti-Semitism
Europe has major problems with
religion
► Protestant
Reformation 1517-1648 (link)
► Martin Luther, Catholic Monk, complained about
problems in the Catholic Church in Europe.
► 95 Theses
► Excommunicated
► Germans support Luther
► 30 Years War erupts
► (huge problem)
► People coming to America
bring religion with them
Pink= Protestant Countries
New England Colonies:
Religious Motives v. Money
► Puritans
or very religious
protestants known as
Calvinists- rejected
Catholicism (Roman
Catholic religion)
► Were known as
Separatists and or
Pilgrims.
► 1620- Established
Plymouth Colony in
America
Plymouth:
► Social
Aspects
► Traveled in familiestight community
► Very religiousintolerant of
differences
► Small population,
grows to 300 after 10
years
► Literacy
important
► Small
landholdings
► Strong work ethic
► Work = religious piety
Political
► Male dominated
► Election of governor
► Believed in equality
for males with
property and if they
were religious
Massachusetts Bay Colony
► Another
Puritans community Very religious /
► Winthrop wanted to create the a holy model of
purity- “City upon a hill” as an example to all
► All
adult free men, part of a Puritan congregation
(church members) could vote
► Town hall meetings used to discuss and vote on
local matters
Puritan Values
► Puritans
believed hard work was the way to
salvation.
► Puritans created the first universities in
colonies► To educate the clergy.
► 1636 Harvard
Rhode Island 1600s
► Dissented
with Puritans
► Massachusetts Bay
► Roger Williams
► Founds Rhode Island
► A place for
► Religious tolerance
► Jews and Catholics
Maryland 1632
► Calvert
was a catholicallowed Catholics to
move, “Catholic Refuge”
but still a minority,
mostly protestants.
► 1649, Act of Toleration or
“Act Concerning Religion”
the Calverts persuaded
the Assembly to adopt a
law of religious
toleration- but only for
Christians
► English
Maryland:
King Gave
Lord Baltimore
land
► Refuge for
Catholics
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (1681)
Proprietary ColonyWilliam Penn Refuge for
Quakers: “Society of
Friends”
► Beliefs: equality
(including gender), no
kneeling, no oaths,
pacifists, anti-violence,
plain clothes
► Large colony
►
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►
►
►
Freedom of worship
Diverse populationGerman, Swedes, Fins
Elected assembly- to help
govern
Friendly relations with
Indians
How has Religion impacted the development of the United States?
1. What are the basic facts related to religion in the colonial period?
► Diversity
of Religions = religious pluralism
► English Religion- Protestants
► Puritans
► Quakers
► Roman Catholics
► Religious freedom generally
► Problem still Sectarian Hostility = against
Catholics and Jews
The First Great Awakening
1730s-1740s
►
►
Great Awakening=
“Awakening” to religion
Refers to reviving
religious beliefs
Stated man is not
helpless in achieving
regeneration; his will
can be an effective
force in his being
saved
►
►
Characteristics:
Evangelism = strong,
energetic preachers
►
Sermons emphasized
starting new relationship
with GOD.
►
Jonathan Edwards famous
evangelist of the first
Great Awakening.
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
by Jonathan Edwards
‘and you are every day treasuring up
more wrath; the waters are
► The awakening sermons said:
continually rising and waxing
► The weight of sin will cause
more and more mighty; and
god’s wrath
there is nothing but the mere
pleasure of God that holds the
► God will execute justice upon
waters back that are unwilling to
the sinner
be stopped, and press hard to go
“The wrath of God is like great
forward; if God should only
waters that are dammed for the
withdraw his hand from the
present; they increase more and
floodgate, it would immediately
fly open, and the fiery floods of
more, and rise higher and
the fierceness and wrath of God
higher, till an outlet is given, and
would rush forth with
the longer the stream is
inconceivable fury, and would
stopped, the more rapid and
come upon you with omnipotent
mighty is its course, when once
power; and if your strength were
it is let loose. Tis true, that judgment
ten thousand times greater than
against your evil works has not been
it is, yea ten thousand times
executed hitherto; the floods of God’s
greater than
vengeance have been withheld; but your
guilt in the meantime is constantly
increasing,
How has Religion impacted the development of the United States?
3. How are religious values reflected in the American culture and
government?
Culture:
Government:
Culture:
►
►
►
►
Civil and human rights
(anti-slavery)
Family-centered
communities
Individual responsibility
Puritan Work Ethic
Government:
► Anti-monarchy
► Self-rule
► Equality
► Religious liberty
► First Amendment to the US
Constitution: “Congress
shall make no law
respecting an
establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof;…”
3. How did the Religious revivals of the First and Second
Great Awakening impact American culture?
Revivals = “giving new life” to bring back to life specifically
Popular Religion
► Second Great Awakening
► First Great Awakening
► Widespread Christian
1730s-1740s
Movement
► More people participated in
► Awaken sentiments that last
Religion
from 1790-1830s
► Caused people to question
► Revival meetings= new life
traditional authority of
► Emotional Sermons
churches
► Increased the amount of
► Stressed the importance of
people participating in
the individual
churches
► Happened just before the
► Abolition Movement Rises
revolution
►Spread
Christian ideas of equality, written law, and morality.
Religion in American has not always been positive.
How have Americans responded to “Other
Religions?”
► Hostility► Jews
► Mormons
► Catholics
Religious Intolerance for Jews
►
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►
►
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America has a long history of hostility to other religionsAnti-Semitism or hatred of Jews was imported with the earliest
colonists.
Most British colonies were hostile toward Jews (Massachusetts, New
England area, Virginia, Georgia, South and North Carolina…)
Tolerance for Jews #1 Rhode Island- freedom of worship,
Pennsylvania- first Synagogue Philadelphia,
New York
► This
was also a bi-product of European hatreds.
Religious Intolerance for Catholics
► Catholics
were hated
much like Jews,
Indians, and blacks
► Culture from England,
a Protestant country,
was against Catholics► Reformation- fight
between Catholics and
Protestants
► The
United States
developed this same
hostility against
Catholics.
► 1840s large population
of Catholics come to
America
► Irish come to America
3million come it 4
years
► Irish Potato Famine
► German Catholics also
come
Anti-Mormon Views
► Joseph
Smith- American protestant► 1820-1823 has a vision of God and Jesus
and Founds a church in 1830.
► Smith gains followers
►
►
New Testament to the
Bible (this creates hostility
to the majority group that
believes in the Bible)
Values- Polygamy,
exclusive in business and
family relations, strict
lifestyle – no drinking,
caffeine, tobacco…
►
Established religion was
hostile to the Mormons
►
Joseph Smith was arrested
then lynched (murdered by
mob)
Mormons
►
Begin in NY and move to
Ohio, then Missouri, Illinois
►
Brigham Young is the
leader of the Mormons
after Smith
Then to Utah- where they
establish a strong
permanent community.
►