Religion During The Reconstruction Era

Religion has been deeply rooted in American history from the beginning, when people fleeing religious persecution came to America for a safe place to raise their children in the knowledge of God. From that point on, America was a place founded on Christian principles, until political and scientific progression and a spirit of rebellion in the American population diverted the national outlook on God. After the Civil War and President Lincoln’s tragic assassination, America was divided on many important matters, especially how she would reconstruct what had been destroyed. Racism was rampant through the reconstruction era, imperialism, and continuing on until today, and Christianity was there responding and reacting to the culture at every stage.
For example, men like Thaddeus Stevens, a radical Republican in the reconstruction era, were highly motivated by moral convictions and religious, idealistic standards. Some people like this would be the Christian missionaries, who, after the Civil War, traveled South to plant churches and spread the gospel. These missionaries were compelled by a hope to encourage and create a biracial “beloved community,” where everyone could live peaceably with one another, regardless of race or creed. These missionaries, and other Christians like them, wanted social and political equality for freed slaves. Civil rights were not just a way to win partisan favor, as it might have been for some in Washington. they were a acred calling. These Christians even used Biblical evidence to contest what “scientific” rationalizations were being used to justify racial discrimination. These incredible people were ignoring the tidal wave of racism and prejudice, and diving directly into the depths of the issue to address that Christians ought to have unanimity despite region or ethnicity. When some would use “science” to back their prejudice, others were unafraid to apply God’s
In a time of Imperialism, Protestant Christian ministers vehemently supported American efforts in the Philippines and Spanish colonies, believing that this would open the door to the gospel, and that the American way was on equal standing with God’s word. These men believed they had an actual sacred duty to spread the virtues of the Anglo-Saxon “race” with the barbarian. Some even believed, as Lymon Abbott, a prominent Protestant clergyman and editor did, that the “barbarians” actually “have no right to their barbarism.” This blatant show of superiority was common during this time, as Protestant missionaries shamelessly asserted that not only could God’s word save the “barbarian,” but the American Way could exponentially improve him. Even Woodrow Wilson was not immune to using religion as an excuse to further his own plans, stating that he essentially knew imperialism was right because God had made that clear to him one restless