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Roger Williams
Roger Williams was purged from Massachusetts Bay because he opposed the decision to establish an official religion and praised the Pilgrims' separation of church and state. He advocated toleration, arguing that political magistrates had authority only over the outward estates of men, and not their spiritual lives. Williams and his followers settled 50 miles south of Boston, founding the town of Providence and the colony of Rhode Island. -
Pilgrims
The Pilgrims were a type of Puritan Separatists who wanted to break away from the Church of England. They immigrated to America on the Mayflower in order to escape religious persecution. Once they reached America, the Pilgrims ran into the Native Americans, where they initially had good relations. Formed the Plymouth Colony when they landed. -
Puritans
The Puritans first came to America in 1620 on the Mayflower. The Pilgrims, as they were called, were separating from the Church of England and escaped religious persecution in England by immigrating to America. Other Puritans soon flocked to America hoping to "purify" The Church of England and develop a colony which would be a model to the rest of the world. -
Massachusetts Bay Colony founded
The Puritan Exodus began in 1630 with the departure of 900 migrants led by John Winthrop, a well-educated country squire who became the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Calling England morally corrupt and overburdened with people, Winthrop sought land for his children and a place in Christian history for people. He strove for purity in the church. The colony was governed from Boston. -
Catholicism
Catholicism was introduced to the English colonies in 1634 with the founding of the Province of Maryland by Cecil Calvert. It was brought over from England by settlers and colonies were formed after Catholics faced persecution from Protestants. Notable Catholic colonies included Maryland and Virginia. -
Founding of Rhode Island
Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams in 1636 after he was banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony for advocating religious tolerance and separation of church and state. Williams and his followers settled 50 miles south of the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s town of Boston, settling the town of Providence and the colony of Rhode Island. Became a major shipping and trade hub. -
Baptists
A branch of Christianity that believed only true believers in Christ should be baptized. The religion was spread to America by Roger Williams in 1638. It started as evangelical Protestant churches and then branched out into its own denomination of Christianity in the 17th century. -
Presbyterian Church
A church grown out of the Puritan church. It was established in every New England colony excluding Rhode Island. It was based on the belief that individual churches should govern themselves. The religious beliefs were very similar to those of Calvinism. -
William Penn
William Penn was granted a large piece of land in the American colonies from King James II of England. Once he traveled the the colonies he spread the Quaker religion. He was an early advocate for religious freedom and democracy which inspired other leaders to do the same in the future. -
Quakers
Epithet for members of the Society of Friends. Their belief that God spoke directly to each individual through an “inner light”and that neither ministers nor the Bible was essential to discovering God’s Word put them in conflict with both the Church of England and orthodox Puritans. Was joined by William Penn, who founded the colony of Pennsylvania as a refuge location for Quakers. -
John Wesley
John Wesley was was an Anglican cleric and theologian who, with his brother Charles and fellow cleric George Whitefield, founded Methodism. He was a minister during the First Great Awakening, and advocated Wesleyan teachings. He was a minister who traveled and preached outdoors to people. Wesley embraced Armenian doctrines. -
Jonathan Edwards
In the 1730s, Jonathan Edwards, a minister in Northampton, Massachusetts, encouraged a revival there that spread to towns throughout the Connecticut River Valley. He was a revivalist preacher, philosopher, and Congregationalist Protestant theologian. His followers distinguished themselves as New Lights. He focused on Reformed Theology. -
Charles Wesley
He was an evangelist from England and was one of the founders of Methodism. He traveled all throughout the colonies in the 1730s as part of the revivalist movement. He spread the message of Methodism (primarily in Georgia) at the start of the Great Awakening. -
George Whitefield
An English Anglican cleric who was a founder of Methodism and the evangelical movement. He worked closely with John and Charles Wesley who were also notable religious figures at the time. He became an itinerant preacher, and traveled to America in 1740. There, he preached a series of revivals known as the Great Awakening. He preached an astounding 18,000 times over the course of his ministry. -
John Witherspoon
Moderator of the First General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1789. He was the President of Princeton University from 1768-1794 where he further spread his Presbyterian beliefs. Witherspoon started a ministry in Scotland and then brought the message to the United States. -
Lutheranism
Christians who insisted that salvation comes through faith and that God grants salvation to those who hear His Word preached to them and realize they are "damned" without his grace. It was founded in 1517 by Martin Luther. It was most prevalent in the the U.S. in Pennsylvania from German settlers. Gilbert Tennent was a Lutheran leader. -
First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening was an evangelical and revitalization movement in the American colonies most prevalent during the 1730s-1740s, and left a permanent mark on American Protestantism. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of deep personal revelation of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. Many great ministers arose from this Great Awakening. -
John Carroll
John Carroll served as the first Bishop in the United States Catholic church. He founded Georgetown University and was well respected by Catholics. He was the only American Catholic Bishop to be elected by the clergy instead of the Pope. -
Trial of John Peter Zenger
This trial was one of the first steps towards free speech and religion in the United States. Zenger wrote harsh things about Virginia governor, William Crosby. However, the court sided with Zenger, which was the first verdict towards freedom of speech. This then directly led to more and more citizens demanding for freedom of religion as well. -
Methodism
A denomination of Christianity which derives its inspirations from the life and teachings of John Wesley, Charles Wesley, and George Whitefield. Was centered around the doctrines of Calvinism, but later focused on free will and a relationship with God. -
Francis Asbury
Francis Asbury made it a mission to spread Methodism during the Second Great Awakening. After he moved to the U.S. in 1771, he spread Methodism primarily through mobilization and horseback. As well as his major role in spreading Methodism, he founded multiple schools across the nation. -
William Miller
William Miller’s main accomplishment was forming the religious movement known as the Millerites. The primary belief of the Millerites was that Christ’s second revival would come between the years 1843-1844. After this failed to occur, the Millerites broke apart over time. -
Virignia's Disestablishment of Anglican Church
Virginia ended the establishment of Anglican Christianity as the official state religion. The disestablishment was made official through “The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom” in 1786. This allowed free religion within the state, and spread the ideals of free religion across the colonies. -
Protestant Episcopal Church
The Protestant Episcopal Church was a new name for the Anglican Church after it disestablished and then re-established in the colonies. -
Second Great Awakening
Unprecedented religious revival that swept the nation between 1790 and 1850; it also proved to be a major impetus for the reform movements of the era. Churches grew in size and many converted to Christianity. George Whitefield was a notable revivalist of this Great Awakening. -
Charles Finney
Charles Grandison Finney was an American Presbyterian minister and one of the leaders of the Second Great Awakening in the U.S. He is considered the “Father of Modern Revivalism”. He was an advocate of Christian perfectionism. His religious views led him to promote abolitionism and universal education. He led a number of religious revivals and is considered to be one of the most famous ministers of the Second Great Awakening. -
John Hughes
Archbishop John Hughes of New York, after being instructed by the pope, attacked abolitionists, Free-soilers, and various Protestant reform movements as opposition to Protestantism. Hughes noted and boasted that Catholicism was faster growing and had more members than Protestantism. -
Calvinism
Political ideology founded by John Calvin in the 16th century. Followers in North America emphasized human depravity and weakness. They focused on reliance on God on not on their own strength. They also believed in predestination. -
Church of God
A large group of churches which are denominations of the Christian faith. The post popular Church of God is in Cleveland, Tennessee. All denominations are very similar in terms of beliefs because they descended from Pentecostal traditions. -
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was the second president of the Church of Latter Day Saints and the predecessor of Joseph Smith. He was the leader of the Mormon settlers who settled in Utah after being persecuted in the east. He founded Salt Lake City and was the first governor of Utah. He led the Mormon followers to Salt Lake City, what they saw as the promised land. -
Cane Ridge Camp Meeting
A large camp meeting in Cane Ridge, Kentucky which was described as the “largest and most famous camp meeting of the Second Great Awakening”. This camp meeting is considered to be the pioneering event in the history of frontier camp meetings in the U.S. It drew over 10,000 people and was hosted by the Presbyterian Church. A large number of ministers attended and preached. -
African American Episcopal Church
It was founded by Reverend Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the mid-Atlantic area that wanted independence from white Methodists. The church grew by the thousands in membership over the next several decades and is still an active church today. -
Ellen Gould White
Ellen G. White was an author and Christian pioneer in America. She and other leaders formed what became known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church. White claimed to have visionary experiences and shared them with her followers. She and followers of the church viewed these experiences as the Gift of Prophecy as stated in Revelation 12:17 and Revelation 19:10. -
Mormonism
Founded by John Smith, Mormonism emphasized moderation, hard work, and taking risks. An angel guided John Smith to discovering gold plates, which were crucial to the fundamental beliefs of the religion. However in 1843, an announcement that God sanctioned polygamy split the Mormons and led to an uprising in 1844. After Joseph Smith died, Brigham Young further spread Mormonism. -
First Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Temple
The first LDS temple was Independence Temple dedicated by Joseph Smith Jr. It is located in Independence, Missouri. This is the location that was supposedly revealed to Joseph Smith as the location of the Garden of Eden. -
Dwight L. Moody
The pioneer modern evangelist of fundamentalism was Dwight L. Moody, a former Chicago shoe salesman and YMCA official who won fame in the 1870s. Eternal life could be had for the asking, Moody promised. Moody was succeeded by Billy Sunday. -
Anti-Catholic Sentiment
Hostility of native-born whites towards Irish and other Catholic immigrants. Natives thought they wanted to destroy Republican institutions or dominate a region. Occurred in flare-ups over issues, then died down, ran on fear and discontent. Protestants thought they were more Democratic, also though Catholics threatened their jobs. -
Southern Baptist Convention Founded
The Southern Baptist Church became the largest of the Christian denominations in the U.S. due to its popularity in the southern states. The denomination was created to split from Northern Baptists over the issue of slavery. A large attraction to the Southern Baptist Convention was their tolerance for slavery in their religious beliefs. -
Church of God (Cleveland Tennessee)
Dating back to 1886, the Church of God is the oldest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. A primary part of their beliefs is the Declaration of Faith, which is very similar to Wesleyan ideals. Founder, Edler Spurling settled in Cleveland, Tennessee, where the headquarters of a nation wide religion was born. -
Billy Graham
Billy Graham was a preacher who rose in popularity in the 1950's and remained there in the decades to come. He was a successful preacher who was also against segregation. He was the spiritual adviser for Eisenhower, Johnson, and Nixon. -
Scopes Trial
The 1925 trial of John Scopes, a biology teacher in Dayton, Tennessee, for violating his state’s ban on teaching evolution. The trial created a nationwide media frenzy and came to be seen as a showdown between urban and rural values. Scopes was fined but was paid by the ACLU. -
Minersville v. Gobitas
The Supreme Court ruled that students are required to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, despite their religious beliefs. This caused conflict throughout the United States as many saw this as a restriction of the first amendment. -
Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
After three years, the Court overruled Minersville v. Gobitas with Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. The Court decided that forcing students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance was a violation of the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. -
Everson v. Board of Education
Supreme Court ruled that the state must pay for the busing of students to private (often religious) schools. This was a huge push toward the integration of state government and religion. -
Nation of Islam
A religion founded in the United States that became a leading source of black nationalist thought in the 1960s. Black Muslims preached an apocalyptic brand of Islam, anticipating the day when Allah would banish the white "devils" and give the black nation justice. -
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Fourth Great Awakening
Period from the 1960s to 1980s in which Southern Baptists and Lutherans grew rapidly in numbers, while the "mainline" Protestant denominations did not grow as fast. Martin Luther King Jr., Billy Graham, and Pope John Paul II were the most notable leaders of this Awakening. The "Jesus Movement" was a huge part of the Fourth Great Awakening. -
Braunfeld v. Brown
The court held that the law forbidding the sale of products on a Sunday for a religious reason was constitutional, based on the First Amendment. -
Torcaso v. Watkins
The Court reaffirmed that the government cannot force politicians to take a religious test in order to run for office. -
Engel v. Vitale
Ruled that any type of State sponsored prayer in schools is unconstitutional because it goes against the establishment of religion clause in the First Amendment. -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was an African American Muslim minister and civil rights activist. He was looked up upon by many blacks, and he advocated for using violence against those in support of segregation and racism. Was very radical and considered the opposite of Martin Luther King Jr. He joined the Nation of Islam while in prison, and used their methodology in regards to civil rights. He was assassinated in 1965 by a Nation of Islam member after he turned peaceful. -
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)
The case in which the Supreme Court ruled that Amish children could not be forced to go to public school past 8th grade. Cited freedom of religion as a deciding factor. -
McDaniel v. Paty (1978)
In 1977, Paul A. McDaniel, a Baptist minister, filed as a candidate for the state constitutional convention. Another candidate, Selma Cash Paty, sued for a declaratory judgment that McDaniel was disqualified. The Chancery Court held that the statute was unconstitutional because it violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments. McDaniel’s name remained on the ballot and he was elected. -
Religious Revival
Religion became an instrument of electoral politics. Religious fundamentalists attacked "secular humanism" as a Godless creed. Religious leaders campaigned for return of prayers for school. -
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
1993 law that "ensures that interests in religious freedom are protected." Protected many people as well as organizations.