Religion's Role in Early American Exploration and Development

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Throughout human history, religion has played a fundamental role in societal development, regardless of the culture. Christianity, in particular, has profoundly shaped the last two thousand years of history and continues to do so today. This holds true in the case of European development and exploration of the New World. As exploration in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries flourished, many countries set out to declare land on behalf of their country, and in an effort to bring honor to their God. When English settlers first developed colonies in New England, one of their goals was to share the word of God with the Native Americans they encountered. This drastically conflicted with the views of the Native Indians, and completely altered the development of North America. European religious views in early North American exploration set the tone for America’s development into a commodification driven society that exploited the environment as a means of economic potential. The first successful colonial …show more content…

In addition, slavery also grew as a commodity for colonists in the seventeenth century. The practice of slavery by Europeans in North America began around 1619 when the first Africans were shipped over seas to the Chesapeake Bay area. Initially, Africans that were brought to America were considered indentured servants, not slaves. The typical ruling was that they would not serve longer than seven years before being be released and integrated into the colony. This coincided with the Biblical command of the Old Testament that stated, "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.” However, it was not long until this ruling changed and African and Indians became expected to serve for

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