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Jan 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was sponsored by Queen Elizabeth and King Ferdinand and sailed across the world in an effort to spread Christianity. His efforts impacted the American landscape by introducing a new religion to the natives and thereby leading to religious diversity in the Americas. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by Puritans seeking an area to freely practice their religion. They brought Puritanism to the Americas and used religious principles to govern their society. -
A Model of Christian Charity
Puritan leader John Winthrop delivers his famous "A City Upon a Hill" speech. Winthrop claimed that the Massachusetts Bay Colony was the center of religious glory and was the model colony for all religious societies to follow. -
Establishment of Rhode Island
Roger Williams founded the Providence Plantation for people who wanted to freely practice their religion without fear of persecution. The colony created a schism in Puritan society and allowed those in Puritan society who were persecuted for their beliefs to move away. -
Maryland Toleration Act
The Maryland Toleration Act granted religious freedom to most religious groups. However, Jewish people and atheists were still persecuted. The Act allowed for there to be greater religious diversity in America and gave most people the right to freely worship. -
Birth of Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards was a prominent Christian preacher during the Great Awakening. His famous sermons such as "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" helped create increased passion for religion in America during the First Great Awakening. -
Birth of George Whitefield
George Whitefield was a minister who was prominent during the Great Awakening, a religious revival in America. He helped ignite great religious fervor in the colonies through his sermons and threats of damnation to those who did not obey religious doctrine. -
First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening was a period of increased religious piety and fervor in America. During this time, the majority of American citizens found their relationships with the Gods they worshipped more personal and introspective and revivalist ministers delivered highly passionate sermons throughout the nation. -
Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant revivalist movement in America that resulted in even more religious demoninations and increased religious spirit. The movement helped spread religious influence across America and increased religious piety for the next 40 years. -
Ratification of the Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was a series of amendments to the Constitution that guaranteed a series of basic rights to American citizens. Among these rights were the right to freely worship and the seperation of church and state, giving all Americans the right to freely practice their religions without fear of persecution. -
Immigration Boost
There was a notable boost in the American population as a result of increased immigration. Several immigrants that came to America were Jews from Germany and Quakers from Norway who had wanted to escape religious persecution and have the right to worship freely, and their immigration increased religious diversity in America. -
Birth of Mary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science and the Church of Christ, Science. Christian Science argued that in order to heal sickness, one must practice Christianity wholeheartedly. This created even more diversification in religious thinking in America. -
Estalishment of Oneida
The Oneida Community was a utopia experiment in the United States. It was founded by John Humphrey Noyes, with the intention of establishing a religious commune in which all citizens lived sin-free lives and endorsed religious piety. -
Temperance
The Temperance movement was a movement that sought to encourage little to no use of alcohol. It had religious (mostly Christian) motivations and principles behind it and had a strong backing by religious Americans. -
Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism was the application of Darwin's theory's on evolution towards issues in the modern world, mainly pertaining to socioeconomic status. These ideas created conflict and dispute in the religious world because the ideas of evolution fundamentally went against Creationism which was a popular religious viewpoint regarding the world's origins. -
The Gospel of Wealth
The Gospel of Wealth was an article written by Andrew Carnegie concerning the origins of a man's wealth. In the article, Carnegie wrote that wealthy men are where they are because it was God's will, and that the wealthy have a responsibility to help the poor. -
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel movement sought to help the American lower class through religious values. The movement applied Christian principles to modern day problems and sought to solve them through these principles, as followers of the movement thought that the Second Coming would not happen without a clean society. This movement implemented
religion even further in American society. -
Modernism vs. Fundamentalism
Modernism was the combined acceptance of Christianity and modern science, while Fundamentalism stressed the literal interpretation of the Bible. Both viewpoints created a rift in Christianity and sparked much debate between both groups as to whether the word of God was supreme in given cases, such as the Scopes trial. -
Scopes Monkey Trial
The Scopes Trial was a famous court case in which a teacher was brought to court for teaching evolution, which was illegal in his Dayton, Tennesse (where he taught). The trial intensified religious conflict in America between Modernists and Fundamentalists, with Modernists arguing in favor of evolution and Fundamentalists remaining obstinate regarding the "word of God". -
Engel v. Vitale
Engel v. Vitale was a Supreme Court case that pertained to the debate of whether it was constitutional to implement an official prayer in public schools. While ruled unconstitutional, the case sparked debate among both sides of the argument regarding the extent to which religions should permeate American society.
