Religion In Colonial America

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In colonial America, religion played a major role in every aspect of the colonists’ lifestyles, and affected the political structure, culture, and societal structure of the colonial regions. In the New England colonies, the political structure present was a common theocratic, or religious government. The Puritan culture that was present during this time period, was affected by the religious ideals that the colonies held, and eventually caused major religious events like the Salem witch trials. The Middle and Southern colonies contained many religious groups, which created a diverse society for the colonies in these regions. Most of the groups that were responsible for the diversity of the colonies, came to the region due to the promise of religious …show more content…
These rules and laws kept the peace and order within the colonies, which kept the colonies move forward in the world with less problems. Religious ideals played an important role in the construction of the new colonies, and were significant pieces to the puzzle, when it came to building up the diversity of the colonies. Religion made a theocratic political system in the New England colonies possible, created the Puritan culture present throughout the New England territories, and added to the diversification in the Middle and Southern colonies. Religion was a majorly significant factor in the categories of politics, culture, and society within the colonial regions, due to its deep roots within the colonists. In the mother country of England, religion was important to most people and that importance carried over to the new world as they voyaged across the Atlantic. The theocratic government of the New England colonies was created by a very religious man named John Winthrop, who believed that God sent him to perform this task. The theocratic government had rules regarding suffrage that made the people within the government more likely to be educated in religion, due to the law that freemen or male churchgoers were the only people with the right to hold office or to vote. Theocracy is based on religious views and is a political structure that influenced the colonial regions of America.
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