To start the historic aspect of America's spirituality, we actually have to go back to Germany in 1520 (then the Holy Roman Empire) and Martin Luther, and England in 1532 under Henry VIII. We also need to reference John Calvin, whose reform work in 1536 eventually played a role in settling the New England colonies. This is actually quite important, because without the religious turmoil of Europe in the 16th century, the American Revolution likely would never have happened.
"Blasphemy" some of you might say, but it's very true. While the 13 Colonies were fairly devout by the mid 18th century, the southern colonies were built on tobacco as a cash crop. The earliest settlers were there looking for gold. Had there been no religious reformations in Europe at the start of the Colonial Era, it is likely that we never would have had the philosophical basis to construct our complaints against the throne of England and declare ourselves as a free nation.
It was the Protestant Reformation, which slowly grew a theology that gave rise to the group now referred to as the Puritans, by which our nation's philosophical foundation was built. Martin Luther's protests against the Papacy for theological abuses, as well as the theological work of John Calvin, laid the foundation for many of the denominations present in the modern US. The Puritans drew heavily on both to develop their theology.
The Church of England also plays a role, because Henry VIII's split with Rome precipitated a period of turmoil in England where the Puritans actually rose to power in the English government. I can hear the humanists snickering from here already. That didn't turn out well, as the Puritans shut down all the major theater companies, pubs and taverns, and brothels, and any other institution which peddled vice. They lasted a mere two years.
After the downfall of the Puritan governance, a large group of the Puritans eventually ended up in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Now, we might look at the Salem Witch Trials shortly thereafter, but that was rather the exception instead of the rule. The majority of the Ivy League was founded by the Puritans. This is a major point, because the Puritans were very big on education. All Puritans were required to be literate. Puritans did enforce traditional roles in the household, but all women could read in Puritan New England, as it was considered proper for the wife to teach her children to read, and for her to run the household, which does require basic reading comprehension and mathematics.
The entire foundation of our education system was on Puritanism. If it hadn't been for the Puritan model of schooling, the entirety of the Colonies would only ever have learned enough to sell cash crops. The scholarship of our founding fathers to contest the abuse of authority in England and write our Constitution would not have existed. And we never would have had the moral imperative for our Revolution.
"Blasphemy" some of you might say, but it's very true. While the 13 Colonies were fairly devout by the mid 18th century, the southern colonies were built on tobacco as a cash crop. The earliest settlers were there looking for gold. Had there been no religious reformations in Europe at the start of the Colonial Era, it is likely that we never would have had the philosophical basis to construct our complaints against the throne of England and declare ourselves as a free nation.
It was the Protestant Reformation, which slowly grew a theology that gave rise to the group now referred to as the Puritans, by which our nation's philosophical foundation was built. Martin Luther's protests against the Papacy for theological abuses, as well as the theological work of John Calvin, laid the foundation for many of the denominations present in the modern US. The Puritans drew heavily on both to develop their theology.
The Church of England also plays a role, because Henry VIII's split with Rome precipitated a period of turmoil in England where the Puritans actually rose to power in the English government. I can hear the humanists snickering from here already. That didn't turn out well, as the Puritans shut down all the major theater companies, pubs and taverns, and brothels, and any other institution which peddled vice. They lasted a mere two years.
After the downfall of the Puritan governance, a large group of the Puritans eventually ended up in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Now, we might look at the Salem Witch Trials shortly thereafter, but that was rather the exception instead of the rule. The majority of the Ivy League was founded by the Puritans. This is a major point, because the Puritans were very big on education. All Puritans were required to be literate. Puritans did enforce traditional roles in the household, but all women could read in Puritan New England, as it was considered proper for the wife to teach her children to read, and for her to run the household, which does require basic reading comprehension and mathematics.
The entire foundation of our education system was on Puritanism. If it hadn't been for the Puritan model of schooling, the entirety of the Colonies would only ever have learned enough to sell cash crops. The scholarship of our founding fathers to contest the abuse of authority in England and write our Constitution would not have existed. And we never would have had the moral imperative for our Revolution.
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