Religion: The Role Of Religion In Colonial America

There were a lot of religions in Colonial America. Some of the religions were Quakers, Catholics, Christians, Lutherans, Puritans, and Jews. Government and local towns tried to enforce strict religious observance. There were many religions so people could follow any religion they choose. The thirteen original colonies established eight churches, if colonies practiced a different religion than their church they were sometimes persecuted. Most colonist said that they were Christians they believed that their faith gave them unique values, which made the colony need rule and regulation. The Catholic Church was restricted in most colonies because it was a European religion. Church steeples and bells were introduced in the 1660s. The creation
of church bells made church attendance rise seventy percent. Some colonies thought that the government should enforce laws so the community could have a certain religion. Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut however, did not have any laws saying they did not have to follow a certain religion. During the years of 1659 through 1661 people were persecuted if they didn’t follow the religion of the colony. In 1689 the English passed the Toleration Act, allowing people to set up different religions in their colonies. The colonies each had a favorite religion. The New England colonist were Puritans and had strict laws. The Middle colonies were different religions, they were Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, and Jews. The Southern colonists had two main religions, they were Baptists and Anglicans. The colonies religions were based off of their leaders religion. John Winthrop shaped the religion of the Puritans. Lord Baltimore founded the colony of Maryland and Catholicism. William Penn founded Pennsylvania and the colonist were Quakers. So in conclusion, all types of colonies had different types of religions. There were many religions that people could follow, but if they did not follow the religion of their colony they were persecuted. After the Toleration Act was passed people could follow their own religion, allowing religious freedom to all.