Religion was very important throughout the colonial era. In the northeast, the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts in order to practice their religion freely. They did this by stamping out dissent and casting out or otherwise persecuting anyone who did not adhere to their own doctrine. Anne Hutchinson was kicked out of Puritan society because she challenged male rule there. She went on to help establish the colony of Rhode Island. The Puritans are also responsible for the Salem Witch Trials, which demonstrated that the Europeans in the New World still had many of the superstitious beliefs of the Old. The Puritans valued education, as they believed that everyone should be able to read the Bible; because of this, public education would be a priority in the northeast before it was anywhere else in the country. The nature of church meetings also led to a more democratic style of governance, where prominent local leaders expected to govern their own affairs through town hall meetings.
The Quakers settled in Pennsylvania in order to avoid persecution back home in England as well. The Quakers were pacifists who were also quite egalitarian in their outlook. Their tolerance for other sects and cultures led to Pennsylvania being a haven for indigenous groups and other Europeans throughout the colonial era. The Quakers valued hard work as well as part of their religion—Quaker farmers and merchants soon made Philadelphia one of the most prosperous cities in the American colonies.
New York was largely settled by the Dutch. Even after the Dutch leadership was ousted by the English, New York would still be known for its diversity. In Europe, the Netherlands were a haven for various religious groups, including Judaism. New Amsterdam, called New York after the English takeover, had the majority of the American Jewish population due to the Dutch's reputation of treating other religious groups well. New York would continue to be a trading center due to its location and its focus on commercialism rather than religious doctrine.
It is really a stretch to argue that there was an established American culture from 1607 (when Jamestown was founded) to 1754. Throughout most of this period, what would become the United States was a collection of colonies under British control (for the most part) lacking any sense of unity. Indeed, the religious diversity of the colonies offers a good example of this. In New England, which was settled after 1620, the culture was dominated by the Puritans, later the Congregational Church. Puritan culture, which emphasized the centrality of the church to the community and demanded that civil law comport with religious law, was the dominant feature.
Originally founded by the Dutch, New York was a polyglot region that featured religious diversity. Dutch Reformed, Anglicans, Catholics, and others lived in the region. Pennsylvania, just to the south, was founded as a Quaker haven, and thus featured separation of church and state and an initially pacifist stance toward natives and other peoples. Pennsylvania, which was also tolerant toward dissenting faiths, also featured religious diversity. Maryland was founded as a haven for Catholics, though they declined in relative numbers throughout the eighteenth century. Virginia and the Carolinas were Anglican, though the Church was never strongly established in the Carolinas, and many religious dissenters moved the backcountry near the end of the period encompassed by the question.
So, in short, it can be said that religion was a major aspect of the culture of each colony, but it is difficult to generalize about American religion and culture before 1754.
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01.html
Religion played a role in shaping American culture between 1607-1754. Many people came to the New World because they were persecuted in Europe for having different religious beliefs than the official religion of a country. These people hoped to be able to freely practice their religion in the British colonies.
Religion played an important role in the colonies. Different religious groups settled in the colonies. In some places, these groups tried to have strict religious observance. People were required to go to church, and tax money was used to pay the salaries of religious leaders. Eight of the thirteen colonies had official churches.
Different religious groups were found in different parts of the colonies. In New England, most people were Puritan. They lived strict religious lives. There was an expectation that people follow the Puritan beliefs. In the Middle and Southern Colonies, religious tolerance was more common. Various religious groups settled in the Middle and Southern Colonies, including the Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Jews.
While religious observance varied from one time period to another, there were times of religious revivals. During these periods, people became more religious and followed religious practices more closely. In the 1730s and the 1740s, religious observance and practice grew.
Religion was very important in the colonies and helped shape how people lived their lives.
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