Religion in the Colonies

From the TEL Library: U.S. History: Book 1

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InquireReligion's Par t in t he Developm ent of Nor t h Am er ican Colonies

Overview

Religion was a driving force for many people who came to the New World. The Puritans came to Massachusetts Bay, Catholics came to Maryland, and the Pilgrims sailed to Plymouth: all to avoid persecution. Puritan Minister Roger Williams and dissident Anne Hutchinson left Massachusetts and formed Rhode Island for the same reason. The early settlers' faith was central to every part of their lives, and that faith would be integral to the societies that would evolve in North America.

Big Quest ionWhat was The First Great Awakening, and what impact did it have on the Colonies?

Scan the QR code below to access the lesson online.

Figure 1.1: A Colonial Era church in Stowe, Vermont

First Great Awakening:

an 18th-century Protestant revival that emphasized individual, experiential faith over church doctrine and the close study of scripture

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Wat chFreedom and Religion - Com ing t o Am er ica

In 2014, the Pew Research Center conducted a Religious Landscape Study of 35,000 Americans representing all 50 states. More than 75% of those surveyed belonged to one of 50 unique religious traditions. 1

The first words of the U.S. Constitution?s Bill of Rights state: ?Amendment I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ? ?2 It is important to note that the first issue discussed is religion, but, is it ?freedom of religion? or ?freedom from religion,? or both?

New England is the area of the Atlantic seaboard north and east of New York. During the 17th century, it consisted of the colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire

These were often referred to as the Puritan colonies because Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut were settled by Puritans, and Plymouth was settled by the Pilgrims. All of whom were Calvinists who had been persecuted in England and sought freedom to practice their religion without interference in the Americas. 1

Puritanism was a major factor in the creation, and the social, religious, and economic lives, of the New England colonies. Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were founded by those who wished to practice their Calvinist-based Protestantism without persecution by the English Church or Parliament.

Both the Pilgrims who settled Plymouth and the Puritans who settled Massachusetts Bay were Calvinists who wanted to carry forward John Calvin?s theories They advocated doing away with stained glass in churches, robes for ministers, the use of incense during services, genuflecting at the sign of the cross, marriage as a sacrament, and the imposition of last rites.

The Puritans and Pilgrims believed that idleness was a sin and, hence, that monasteries were a waste of time. They equally disliked mysticism, meditation, and prescribed prayers. 1

Scan the QR code below to watch the video online. The following text is an edited transcript from the video.

John Calvin:

French theologian and reformer in Switzerland; leader in the Protestant Reformation

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Though the theology of the Church of England created a compromise between Catholicism and Calvinism, neither the Puritans nor the Pilgrims thought the Church had gone far enough to rid itself of Catholic theology and practice.

In the end, they both ended up in America and became the driving forces of those first words in the Bill of Rights. But, is it ?freedom of religion? or ?freedom from religion,? or both? Look around you at society today. What do you think?

As you think about your life, can you identify ways in which religious freedom influences you?

ReadOverview - A Spir it ual RevivalThe Great Awakening was a religious revival in the American colonies triggered by a belief among Calvinists that the spiritual life of the colonists was endangered. With a focus on the material, rather than the spiritual, and the pursuit of wealth, rather than the pursuit of a good Christian life, the lifestyle choices of the colonists alarmed and then invigorated evangelical ministers, launching the Great Awakening. Ultimately, ministers from both sides of the Atlantic would inspire each other and be involved in this spiritual revival.3

The Church of England - The Anglican Church

Like much of Europe, England had been a Catholic country until the Protestant Reformation. Henry VIII had, at first, defended the Catholic Church from the criticisms of Martin Luther, but later broke with the Catholic Church in order to divorce Ann Boleyn and, in 1534, declared himself the head of the Church of England. Unlike other Protestant movements, the essence and doctrine of the Anglican Church vacillated between Catholicism and Protestantism, depending on what religious views were held by the current monarch and his or her advisors. This was a natural consequence of the Church and State being tied together. The result was an Anglican Church that remained Catholic but was caught in the middle, blending aspects of Catholicism and Protestantism. Because the Anglicans retained a detailed liturgical structure, all Anglican churches followed a common guide. Any Anglican, whether in England or in the colonies, could confidently assume what scriptures would be read and what prayers would be said on any given Sunday. For many, this formal, predictable style of worship did not meet their spiritual needs. Indeed, some felt England to be almost a spiritual desert.3

The Wesley Brot hers and Their Conversion

John and Char les Wesley attended Oxford University and in 1729, Charles founded the Holy

Figure 1.2: A portrait of King Henry VIII

Evangelical:

of or according to the teaching of the gospel or the Christian religion

John and Char les Wesley:

English Anglican clerics and theologians who, with fellow cleric George Whitefield, founded Methodism

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Club: a group of students who were devout in their religious practices. In fact, they were methodical in the way they carried out their religious devotions and other activities, a practice which led to their nickname, Methodist. The name eventually served to identify the Protestant denomination they founded. The Wesleys, who practiced what they preached, believed in public service and missionary work, even going to the Colonies in the 1730s as missionaries. On their return to England, John and Charles encountered Moravian passengers. Moravians were a Protestant group with German roots extending back to Jan Huss. This encounter prompted the brothers to read the writings of Martin Luther, in particular, his Justification by Faith. In 1738, within just a few days of each other, both brothers experienced deep religious conversions. Thereafter, they would preach of a personal, emotional relationship with God, and this preaching would carry over to the Colonies.3

George Whit ef ield: A Power ful Voice in New England and t he Colonies

George Whit ef ield, who attended Oxford, also joined the Holy Club and was influenced by the Wesleys. Though for Whitefield, Calvin, not Luther, was the key to his conversion. Another great influence on Whitefield was Jonat han Edwards. Whitefield read Edwards? A Faithful Narrative and found it inspirational. The old Anglican Sunday services no longer sufficed for the Wesleys and Whitefield, so they began preaching revivals in the open air. They preached to people who did not normally attend church and to anyone who listened. They believed the Holy Spirit could be felt at work in their hearts; this very personal, emotional religious experience was also felt by those whom they converted.

These were not the calm, quiet services of the traditional Anglican Church, but emotional services during which the congregation openly wept, especially when listening to Whitefield. Whitefield?s preaching style impressed even those who, like Benjamin Franklin, did not agree with his theology. He was able to stir up a storm of emotions in his audience so that they were often left weeping.3 He preached multiple times a day for the rest of his life, inspiring many to a religious awakening. Even when those to whom he preached did not become Methodists, many experienced the Great Awakening.

While many colonists welcomed this new evangelical form of worship, others did not. In the Colonies, those who preferred to stay with their old religious practices were called the old lights, while those who favored the new were called new lights. The division between old and new lights crossed denominational boundaries, for while the Methodists were in the forefront of the Awakening, this was a spiritual matter, rather than a doctrinal one. People could stay with their own church and still have the same deeply personal, internal conversion as the Wesleys. New denominations, including Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists, took hold in the Colonies even where they were prohibited by law. All these denominations originated in the Old World and flourished in the Colonies. Powered by the zeal of the Awakening, they changed the face of Colonial religion. 3

Figure 1.3: An image of George Whitefield preaching

Conversion:

repentance and change to a godly life

Jonat han Edwards:

an American clergyman of the 18th century; a leader in the First Great Awakening; an emotional preacher who emphasized the absolute power of God

George Whit ef ield:

a preacher and public figure who led many revival meetings both in England and the American Colonies. He became a religious icon who spread a message of personal salvation and a more democratic Christianity.

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The Great Awakening Begins in t he Middle Colonies

In the 1730s, the Great Awakening began with the Tennents, a Presbyterian family of preachers who reached out to Presbyterians in Pennsylvania and on into New Jersey. The Tennents and others were so successful in their revivals that they led to the founding of Princeton and to the inspiration of Jonathan Edwards. Their revivals spread from Pennsylvania northward into New England, striking a cord with the Congregationalists, or Puritans, and Baptists there, leading ministers in New England to have their own revivals by the 1740s.3, 4

Jonat han Edwards

Jonathan Edwards, a Connecticut preacher who read Locke and Newton, was well-educated in theology and philosophy. He came to be one of the most important theologians of his day. Inspired by Gilbert Tennent, Edwards was preaching successful revivals by 1735 when, tragically, his uncle committed suicide due to his despair concerning salvation. This proved a temporary setback to Edwards? revivals. 3, 5

Just as Edwards' zeal was temporarily muffled, George Whitefield arrived from England in 1739 full of revival spirit. Edwards? writing had inspired Whitefield every bit as much as Whitefield?s emotional preaching had inspired Edwards. Edwards greatly admired Whitefield who, as we might expect, emotionally touched him. Edwards? own style was far more restrained than Whitefield?s. Edwards reached his listeners through reason rather than through sermons infused with overt emotion, though the effects of his sermons on his audiences could be very emotional. 3

"Sinners in t he Hands of an Angry God"

Edwards is most famous for his sermon entitled Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. When he delivered this sermon at a meeting in Enfield, Connecticut in 1741, the reaction was overwhelming, with people crying out for salvation. These meetings were awash in a tide of passion never before seen in Colonial churches as attendees wept, shouted and fainted. The Great Awakening in the Colonies was felt everywhere, yet New England stood out, due in no small part to Edwards. Conversions increased as church attendance exploded. Few New Englanders, if any, did not know someone who had converted during this time of religious fever.3

Figure 1.4: The Tennents led to the founding of Princeton University, pictured above

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Ref lectHead or Hear t ?

Poll There are causes that are successful because the proponents can make a rational, logical argument. For example, the 28th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18. Proponents argued that if 18-year-olds could be drafted to go to war and die, shouldn't they be able to vote for the government sending them to war?

Then there are causes that are successful because the proponents can make emotional, powerfully appealing arguments. MADD - Mothers Against Drunk Driving - has an amazing success record of impacting and changing the drinking and driving laws across America because they appear before state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, and on TV with videos and pictures of their children who were killed by drunk drivers. Their stories are compelling and persuasive.

Which do you think is most important when trying to influence people to action - a rational, logical argument (the head), or an emotional argument (the heart)?

- Head (rational, logical)

- Heart (emotional)

Expand

The Slave Ecology

Int roduct ion - Not Just Econom y... A Slave Ecology

Ecology: .? the totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their environment6

Slavery formed a cornerstone of the British Empire in the eighteenth century. Every colony had slaves, from the southern rice plantations in Charles Town, South Carolina, to the northern wharves of Boston. Slavery was more than a labor system; it also influenced every aspect of colonial thought and culture. The uneven relationship it engendered gave white colonists an exaggerated sense of their own status. English liberty gained greater meaning and coherence for whites when they contrasted their status to that of the unfree class of black slaves in British America. African slavery provided whites in the colonies with a shared racial bond and identity.7

Royal Af r ican Com pany

The transport of slaves to the American colonies accelerated in the second half of the seventeenth century. In 1660, Charles II created the Royal African Company (Figure) to trade in slaves and African goods. His brother, James II, led the company before ascending to the throne. Under both Figure 1.5: The scars of abuse on the

back of a former slave named Peter

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these kings, the Royal African Company enjoyed a monopoly to transport slaves to the English colonies. Between 1672 and 1713, the company bought 125,000 captives on the African coast. On the journey from the African coast to the Americas ? known as the Middle Passage ? they lost 20 percent of these African captives to death, delivering the remainder into harsh conditions of horrid abuse and servitude in America.7

Transpor t , Resist ance, and t he St ono Rebell ion

The Royal African Company?s monopoly ended in 1689 as a result of the Glorious Revolution. After that date, many more English merchants engaged in the slave trade, greatly increasing the number of slaves being transported. Africans who survived the brutal Middle Passage usually arrived in the West Indies, often in Barbados. From there, they were transported to the mainland English colonies on company ships. While merchants in London, Bristol, and Liverpool lined their pockets, Africans trafficked by the company endured a nightmare of misery, privation, and dislocation. 7

Slaves strove to adapt to their new lives by forming new communities among themselves, often adhering to traditional African customs and healing techniques. Indeed, the development of families and communities formed the most important response to the trauma of being enslaved. Other slaves dealt with the trauma of their situation by actively resisting their condition, living in defiance of their masters or running away. Runaway slaves formed what were called ?maroon? communities, groups that successfully resisted recapture and formed their own autonomous groups. The most prominent of these communities lived in the interior of Jamaica, controlling the area and keeping the British away. 7

Slaves everywhere resisted their exploitation and attempted to gain freedom. They fully understood that rebellions would bring about massive retaliation from whites and therefore had litt le chance of success. Even so, rebellions occurred frequently. One notable uprising that became known as the St ono Rebell ion took place in South Carolina in September 1739. A literate slave named Jemmy led a large group of slaves in an armed insurrection against white colonists, killing several before milit ia stopped them. The milit ia suppressed the rebellion after a battle in which both slaves and milit iamen were killed, and the remaining slaves were executed or sold to the West Indies. 7

Jemmy is believed to have been taken from the Kingdom of Kongo, an area where the

Figure 1.6: The 1686 English guinea shows the logo of the Royal African Company, an elephant and castle, beneath a bust of King James II. The coins were commonly called guineas because most British gold came from Guinea in West Africa. 7

Resist ance:

the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument

St ono Rebell ion:

a slave rebellion in the colony of South Carolina; the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies

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Portuguese had introduced Catholicism. Other slaves in South Carolina may have had a similar background: Africa-born and familiar with whites. If so, this common background may have made it easier for Jemmy to communicate with the other slaves, enabling them to work together to resist their enslavement even though slaveholders labored to keep slaves from forging such communities. 7

In the wake of the Stono Rebellion, South Carolina passed a new slave code in 1740 called An Act for the Better Ordering and Governing of Negroes and Other Slaves in the Province, also known as the Negro Act of 1740. This law imposed new limits on slaves? behavior, prohibiting slaves from assembling, growing their own food, learning to write, and traveling freely. 7

Explore

The Dif ference Bet ween Prior to Martin Luther and the Reformation beginning in the early 1500s, there was only one Church, one denomination in Western Europe: the Roman Catholic Church. 200 years later, there were numerous sects and denominations, as we studied in this lesson.

Without taking any position on the truth of Christianity, or the rightness or wrongness of the Protestants, Catholics, or any denomination, make a chart showing the differences and similarities in Roman Catholicism and two of the several denominations mentioned in this lesson: Baptist, Methodist, Puritan, Calvinist, Presbyterian, Congregationalist and Anglican/Church of England.

You can use a website entitled ?DifferenceBetween? (http://www.differencebetween.net) or another research tool.

DiscussThis lesson shows a juxtaposition of the First Great Awakening and slave culture.

The First Great Awakening was a religious revival across much of Western Europe and North America, and it was certainly a force for change in North America. The slave culture developed within a broader society that was perpetuating a state of human bondage. These two disparate historical events were juxtaposed in time and place.

The First Great Awakening was impactful in the Southern Colonies, although it was more apparent in the North. Furthermore, even if you disregard the revivals, most people in all the colonies - the South and the North - had some connection to Christian belief.

In your opinion, does what was happening in the slave culture in the South seem at odds with the idea of a Christian revival in the land?

Figure 1.7: Slaves were inspected and sold to plantation owners and slave masters

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a.    If no, why not?

a.    If yes, how can you make sense of this?

In your online forum, share your answer, and discuss the idea of a Christian society justifying or ratifying slavery, and what that looked like, especially in light of the First Great Revival?s appeal to the heart and emotions.

Check Your Know ledgeBased on the information presented in this lesson, select the most appropriate answer from the choices provided.

1. King Henry VIII of England was opposed to the Reformation Movement and Protestants, but he broke with the Catholic Church and set up the Church of England because he needed a(n)?

a.   ally in the battle against the French.

b.   reason to invade Spain.

c.   divorce.

d.   baptism for his daughter.

2. Slaves strove to adapt to their new lives by forming new communities among themselves, often adhering to traditional ________________ customs and healing techniques..

a.    African

b.    Tribal

c.    Local

d.    Family   

3. John and Charles Wesley were the founders of the ______________ church.

a.   Baptist

b.   Methodist

c.   Congregationalist

d.   Puritan

4. The Pilgrims and Puritans both followed the teachings of?

a.   John Wesley.

b. John Edwards.

c.   John Smith.

d. John Calvin.

5. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is the tit le of a famous sermon given by?

a.    George Whitefield.

b.    Jonathan Edwards.

c.    Billy Graham.

d. Charles Wesley.

(1) c, (2) a, (3) b, (4) d, (5) b

Religion in the Colonies | 11

GlossaryFirst Great Awakening - an 18th-century Protestant revival that emphasized individual, experiential faith over church doctrine and the close study of scripture

Conversion - repentance and change to a godly life

Resist ance - the refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument

Def iance - open resistance; bold disobedience

Evangelical - of or according to the teaching of the gospel or the Christian religion, usually denoting a tradition within Protestant Christianity emphasizing the authority of the Bible, personal conversion, and the doctrine of salvation by faith in the Atonement

John and Char les Wesley - English Anglican clerics and theologians who, with fellow cleric George Whitefield, founded Methodism.

Jonat han Edwards - an American clergyman of the 18th century; a leader in the religious revivals of the 1730s and 1740s known as the First Great Awakening. Edwards, an emotional preacher, emphasized the absolute power of God.

John Calvin - French theologian and reformer in Switzerland; leader in the Protestant Reformation

George Whit ef ield - a preacher and public figure who, as a leader in the First Great Awakening, led many revival meetings both in England and the American Colonies. He became a religious icon who spread a message of personal salvation and a more democratic Christianity.

St ono Rebell ion - The Stono Rebellion was a slave rebellion that began on 9 September 1739, in the colony of South Carolina. It was the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies, with 42-47 whites and 44 blacks killed.

Toolbox1. The South, the War and ?Christian Slavery? by Thom Basett? - The New York Times; Opinion Pages; April 27, 2012 - ; https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/the-south-the-war-and-christian-slavery/

2. The Seven Years War and the Great Awakening: Crash Course US History #5: John Green - https://youtu.be/5vKGU3aEGss

3. APUSH Review: The First Great Awakening; Adam Norris - https://youtu.be/DJRfRUxqZmo

4. Slavery Slave Auction:America: The Story of Us - History Channel - https://youtu.be/S_m_qXMpLFo

5. Roots: The System of American Slavery | History - History Channel - https://youtu.be/zZkDYr7qsCw

6. The Old Ships Church History, Hingham, Massachusetts. http://www.oldshipchurch.org/history.html

Learning Object ivesList events that occurred in Western Europe and North America that gave rise to The First Great Awakening.

Compare and contrast the idea that a relationship with God was about your heart and your emotions versus the idea that a relationship with God was about your head and your intellect. Relate these ideas to The First Great Awakening.

Describe the role that Evangelical ministers like George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards played in

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the Great Awakening.

Distinguish between the Protestant denominations that the movement either started or enhanced.

Explain each of the elements that contributed to the new, distinct slave culture that was growing in the South.

Evaluate the impact of slavery on the entire colonial culture.

Describe some of the ways slaves responded to their situation.

Lit eracies and Com pet enciesCr it ical Think ing [Discussion: Analyzing and evaluating the juxtaposition of the First Great Awakening and the acceptance of slavery]

Inform at ion & Media/ Know ledge Acquisit ion [Explore: Researching and cataloguing the differences in Catholicism and two of the Protestant denominations from the First Great Awakening]

Moral [Discussion: Analyzing and evaluating the juxtaposition of the First Great Awakening

and the acceptance of slavery]

At t r ibut ionsFigure 1.1: ?Church and Autumn Leaves? by Patrick is licensed under CC by 2.0. https://www.flickr.com/photos/pdbreen/3329133488/

Figure 1.2: ?Portrait of Henry VIII? by Hans Holbein the Younger is in the public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Workshop_of_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger_-_

Portrait_of_Henry_VIII_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg

Figure 1.3: ?George Whitefield Preaching? by Joseph Belcher is in the public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Whitefield_preaching.jpg

Figure 1.4: ?Princeton University Alexander? by Quantockgoblin is in the public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princeton_University_Alexander.jpg

Figure 1.5: "Cicatrices de Flagellation sur un esclave" is in the public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cicatrices_de_flagellation_sur_un_esclave.jpg

Figure 1.6: ?1686 English Guinea? from OpenStax College. An Empire of Slavery and the Consumer Revolution. OpenStax-CNX 7 Jan. 2015 <https:// legacy.cnx.org/content/m50017/1.3/>.

Figure 1.7: ?The Inspection and Sale of a Slave? by Brantz Mayer is in the public domain. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_inspection_and_sale_of_a_slave.jpg

Cit at ions

1http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

1Locks, Catherine; Mergel, Sarah; Roseman, Pamela; Spike, Tamara; and Lasseter, Marie, "History in the Making: A History of the People of the United States of America to 1877 - 4.6 thE EStaBlIShmEnt Of thE nEW EnGlanD COlOnIES ? (2013). History Open Textbooks. Book 1. h p://oer.galileo.usg.edu/history-textbooks/1

Religion in the Colonies | 13

2 The Constitution of the United States - Amendment No. 1 - FindLaw For Legal Professionals - http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1.html

3Locks, Catherine; Mergel, Sarah; Roseman, Pamela; Spike, Tamara; and Lasseter, Marie, "History in the Making: A History of the People of the United States of America to 1877 - 6.3.3 - The Great Awakening? (2013). History Open Textbooks. Book 1. h p://oer.galileo.usg.edu/history-textbooks/1

4Christine Leigh Heyrman, ?The First Great Awakening,? Divining America, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center, October 10, 2012, http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/

grawaken.htm.

5 Taylor, Alan. American Colonies: The Settling of North America. New York: Penguin Books, 2001.

6?Ecology.? Merriam-Webster.com, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ecology\. Accessed 2017.

7OpenStax College. An Empire of Slavery and the Consumer Revolution. OpenStax-CNX. 7 Jan. 2015 <https:// legacy.cnx.org/content/m50017/1.3/>.