Religion
Colonists and Religion
Religion was one of the main aspects that caused many immigrants and settlers to come to the British colonies. In Europe, many of the citizens were being prosecuted for their religious beliefs and practices. This is very ironic as most of the colonies in America were creating laws and restrictions that enforced people to only practice certain religions. The main religion that quickly took control in the colonies was Christianity. In the colonies, the practice of religion was also different from previous ideas. Churches were spread apart and populations around those churches were small. Many of the communities were populated by men with a ratio of only one woman per four men. As the years passed, and the populations grew, more and more larger scale cities were created. This led to the growth of power for the church and its clergy. The church was usually in the heart of the town and the Sabbath quickly became the most important day. Few towns and cities openly accepted gambling and drinking on the day of the Sabbath. The power of religion had a great influence on the colonies and the colonists in the time period of Colonial America.
Slavery and Religion
Slaves were becoming a bigger part of the southern economy as time passed and the American Revolution grew nearer. Many of the slaves brought to the colonies had their own religious practices. They quickly become intertwined with the religious ideas of the colonists. They created a religion that was part American and part African. Some religions in the colonies also tried to reach out and convert the slaves to their religions. They were usually of a small majority and if they received any religious ideas, they were mostly from their owner. Many congregations were also forced to try and convert minorities as more and more different religions appeared in the colonies. This led to some churches being forced to treat slaves with toleration. However, toleration was rarely given to these slaves, leaving them to create their own mixed religion.
Natives and Religion
Religion in Native American tribes varied greatly as each tribe had its own practices. In the colonial times, much of their religion was influenced by Europeans and the settlers coming from all around the world. Their religion was also largely based on the land around them. They were very spiritually connected with the wildlife they hunted and the land they lived on. Their practices were small and not meant to attract new people. It was basically very informal and not institutionalized, unlike the European congregations. Christianity also took hold in many tribes and they began encountering the colonists. Many of them converted and began becoming more like their European counterparts. The past religion of the tribes is still practiced today within many tribes.