Religious Revival – American History to 1877

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In Taylor’s chapter about religion and the colonies, he describes the religious revival that took place during this time period. When first learning American history when I was younger, I was taught that Europeans came over for religious freedom, far away from the Church of England and the monarchy. Taylor points out this misconception in the beginning of his chapter, as it was only some colonists that wanted religious freedom. Many colonists observed their respective religions and attended church on a weekly basis. Especially in New England, which as Taylor says, “struck visitors as the most conspicuously devout and religious homogenous region in British North America” (340). The readings on the Salem Witch Trials also capitalize on this highly religious area in the colonies, as well as also dispel myths about these trials.

Like the idea about religious freedom, from a young age I was taught that the Salem Witch Trials persecuted women for being involved with the devil and witchcraft. But like most people, one always asks, how were they persecuted and why were they persecuted? As Elizabeth Reis talks about these frequently asks questions. It was interesting to see the differences between how men and women were treated in this Puritan area. Women were most often persecuted as witches due to their confession, because they were most likely to confess to sinning and being in a covenant with the devil, whereas men would brush off their sins as things that can be changed later.

In his blog post, Mike discusses the Salem Witch trials and the gender roles associated with them. Mike points out how women have always been a social stigma that women are weak, and men were considered strong due to their ability to get rid of the devil. This point is extremely interesting to me, as I never though about the witch trials being a gender divided event.

In Chapter 15 of American Colonies, Taylor describes the resurgence of religion in colonial America during the 18^th century. Known as “The Great Awakening,” widespread religious revival spread across the colonies in response to sweeping religious reform. Religious institutions began to become widespread across the colonies, and many adopted a more compelling form of preaching. Moreover, the evangelists in particular promoted a more “equal” society that accepted all classes of people, and attempted to further the rights of the individual.

As mentioned in the previous post “Religious Awakening in the Colonies,” Taylor does a particularly good job of painting a clear picture of the religious diversity in the colonies. His use of numerical statistics, particularly the number of churches in each specific region, clearly demonstrates the power and prominence of religion within the colonies. Taylor’s decision to discuss religion in a regional context is particularly effective. He discusses religion separately in the northern, southern, and middle colonies, allowing the reader to clearly understand the diverse and various religious differences in each of these geographic regions. By discussing the impact of religion on each separate region, Taylor allows the reader to grasp how religion uniquely impacted the social and political hierarchy of the colonies.

I found religion’s role within the colonies particularly fascinating. Having just discussed the ideas of tolerance and certain freedoms within social class, it was interesting to see that religion was being used to better the colonists lot in life. As Taylor notes, religion allowed women to have a voice that was previously denied to them in the colonies. The Quakers in particular, valued the voice of women in their service. Moreover, the Baptists and other evangelists began to become interested in including African slaves and Indians in salvation, allowing them to attend service and worship as equals with the other members. However, fearful of the Africans unifying under a singular identity, the Anglicans soon put an end to the baptism of slaves. A pattern we see continued from earlier readings.

Overall, I feel as if Taylor has done an exceedingly good job in portraying religion in the colonies. He discusses each religion separately, and narrates a compelling story about the role of each early religion. My one complaint with Taylor comes early in the chapter. Taylor writes that it is a myth that “English colonists fled from religious persecution into a land of religious freedom” (339). However, I feel as if in previous chapters, religion was portrayed by Taylor as a major factor in the emigration of the early English colonists. While he made it clear that economics certainly played a role in people flocking to the new world, I feel as if he almost perpetuates the very myth that he warns us against earlier in our readings.

Tag: Religious Revival

Witch Craft and Religion

Chapter 15: Religious Revival