About Religion in the North & South During Colonial Times

Religious observation varied colony by colony in Colonial America. Puritans and Anglicans in the North tied religion to political rule. Quakers predominated in Pennsylvania, Catholics in Maryland, Presbyterians in the Carolinas. Rhode Island had a policy of toleration. Southerners tended to have the centralized religious experience but separated it from political considerations.

The Facts

Puritans are synonymous with New England. The Puritan Church theocracy formed the basis for all aspects of 17th century colonial life. Puritanism didn't travel well. Quakers gained strength in the late 17th century and became institutionalized in Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. Southerners were more eclectic, religiously speaking. The Anglican Church of old England was the religion of choice. Strong pockets of other Christian faiths also existed.

Evolution

Puritan leaders ruled over all aspects of religion and life in New England through the early 1700s. The 1700s saw the rise of Quakerism as well. The Puritan hold loosened in the 18th century as the Enlightenment took hold, featuring a greater emphasis on liberal thought. Later in the 18th century, the Great Awakening brought an evangelical spin to religious activity. Religious practice traveled from a state-controlled and controlling activity to a more personal celebration.

Function

Establishing order in the disorder of the new American experience was a major accomplishment of the early theocratic-driven religious state in the North. Religious groups seeking to practice their beliefs unencumbered established colonies in Pennsylvania (Quakers) and Maryland (Catholics). Presbyterians held the Carolinas together with their beliefs. Anglicans provided a religious framework elsewhere in the South. Religion was a prime social adhesive until the middle of the 18th century, when it became more individually centered and served as a basis for the Revolutionary War experience.

Features

Puritans established a civil government based on their religious beliefs. Leaders defined society in religious terms. Other denominations also tied church to state. Anglicans, Presbyterians and Catholics all ruled colonies tying state and church. People paid taxes to support regional churches and were persuaded to belong. However, as the Great Awakening took over America in the mid-1700s, individuals made the observances more personal, creating sects and a more tolerant religious attitude.

Significance

Religion defined American society and culture in the colonial age. As it held sway, most attitudes and decisions were made in a religious context. As state-sponsored religion faded, a more personal form of religious exploration marked 18th century society, providing the basis for challenging beliefs (including political beliefs) and a mindset questioning English authority in general.