Religious Freedom In The Thirteen American Colonies

The original thirteen American colonies were established by many different people, most who had different views and beliefs. Along with the different settlers came a variety of religions, some similiar in practice and others completely different. Because of the many different settlers and beliefs, there were various extents of religious freedom depending on where in the colonies one was. There was very little religious tolerance found in the New England colonies. Due to the fact that most of the first New England colonies were settled by the Massachusetts Bay Company, a Puritan group, the main religion found in the area was Puritanism. The lack of religious toleration can be seen in the way only male members of the Puritan church

In 1664, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret settled the area between the Hudson and Delaware rivers and, to attract people, they established religious freedom (pg 42). This region would soon come to be controlled by a Quaker named William Penn. Given to him in part by the Duke of York and the king, Penn’s holdings would amount to Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. He continued the practice of religious freedom despite much of the land being settled by Quakers. He believed that anyone who believed in “one Almighty and Eternal God” could worship in peace (pg 44). It was also the wealthy landowners who could vote, not any one religion. As long as a man owned land, he was able to vote and hold office. In these ways, the Middle Colonies were the most lenient of all the colonies when it came to

The established religion by the mid eighteenth century was Anglicanism. This was the religion that was supported by public funds and it was required by law to attend church services in 1619 (pg 60). Even though there was an established religion, other practices were allowed. In Maryland, for example, Lord Baltimore tried for a completely Catholic colony, but it was not possible because there was a majority of Protestants in the area. He created the Toleration Act of 1649 that allowed religious freedom to any who professed a belief in Jesus Christ. It stated that those who did not believe in Jesus Christ were to be persecuted. The act was repealed and reenacted multiple time in the seventeenth century until it was permanently repealed with the establishment of the Anglican church. The attempt of a Toleration Act and the way other religions could be practiced even with an established religion showed that the Southern Colonies tried for religious freedom, but they were not fully able to achieve it.

Religious toleration in the colonies was not the same in every region. The least tolerant region was the New England Colonies, where anything but Puritanism was frowned upon. The Middle Colonies were the most free in the religion aspect, with William Penn believing that those who believed in God could worship in peace. Finally, the Southern Colonies were a mix between the rest of America,