Democratic ideals were developed in our country long before individuals clearly understood what they signified. Colonists through out the 13 colonies are the makers of the America we live in today. They began to practice democratic ideals not present in their colony, such as: freedom of religion, voting, and equality. The sense of freedom these colonies had led them to corporate these democratic ideals into their lives. Their way of thinking was not perfect, but it was the beginning, or foundation, of the rights and laws we live by today. Religion was the main reason why individuals argued and fought against one another. New religious beliefs began to arise and slowly began to break away from the Catholic church. Such people who did this were often sent, or left, to the “New World”. Most of them were labeled as Protestants, Puritans, Pilgrims, Quakers, etc. With different religious groups living in the same area, tensions formed and laws had to be made. In Maryland, for example, the “Act of Toleration” had to be passed in 1649. This new religious law guaranteed toleration to all Christians. It was less liberal, but it decreased the death penalty for those, like Jews and Atheists, who denied the divinity of Jesus. Quakers were another religious group that refused to support the church. They were against having to pay taxes. They built simple meeting houses and “spoke up”. They refused military service and they where the first ones to start an organization against slavery. They were a simple, devoted, democratic people, who had their own religious thoughts and wanted civic freedoms. They were led by William Penn, who wanted to build a refuge for his people and experiment with liberal ideas. He formed Pennsylvania, which became very popular during those times for its interesting laws. There were many religious groups that wanted a “get away” and to live by their own ideas. Most of them
Democratic ideals were developed in our country long before individuals clearly understood what they signified. Colonists through out the 13 colonies are the makers of the America we live in today. They began to practice democratic ideals not present in their colony, such as: freedom of religion, voting, and equality. The sense of freedom these colonies had led them to corporate these democratic ideals into their lives. Their way of thinking was not perfect, but it was the beginning, or foundation, of the rights and laws we live by today. Religion was the main reason why individuals argued and fought against one another. New religious beliefs began to arise and slowly began to break away from the Catholic church. Such people who did this were often sent, or left, to the “New World”. Most of them were labeled as Protestants, Puritans, Pilgrims, Quakers, etc. With different religious groups living in the same area, tensions formed and laws had to be made. In Maryland, for example, the “Act of Toleration” had to be passed in 1649. This new religious law guaranteed toleration to all Christians. It was less liberal, but it decreased the death penalty for those, like Jews and Atheists, who denied the divinity of Jesus. Quakers were another religious group that refused to support the church. They were against having to pay taxes. They built simple meeting houses and “spoke up”. They refused military service and they where the first ones to start an organization against slavery. They were a simple, devoted, democratic people, who had their own religious thoughts and wanted civic freedoms. They were led by William Penn, who wanted to build a refuge for his people and experiment with liberal ideas. He formed Pennsylvania, which became very popular during those times for its interesting laws. There were many religious groups that wanted a “get away” and to live by their own ideas. Most of them