Religious revolutionaries

When viewing the history of the United States of America and that of its revolution, it is plain to see that the United States owes a large amount of credence to its religious aspirations. The colonies were vibrant in religious practices. Some were more fundamentalist and some were more lax in their convictions. The one thing that was common though is that there was dissention and rebellion in their roots.

Just the pure idea of them being in the New World and not under the thumb and hammer of the religious institutions of the Old World made them rebellious in the first place. The pilgrims who crossed the pond were dissenters to begin with. The fuel and fire for revolution was in the hearts of the colonies before the idea of becoming a new nation was even a thought. Indeed there were business ventures to be had in the New World. The idea for prospecting for new agriculture and profits is always a means for colonization, but the cause for the pilgrims where that of a religious reason. They wanted to practice the rites and customs of their faith without persecution from the Church of England. To do so, they decided to pack-up and head west towards a new land for a new beginning.

Religion was the back-bone for the pilgrimage. Saying so, this allows one to ponder the argument that the United States is in existence today due to religion. I agree with Patricia Bonomi’s argument that the colonies transferred the importance from that of the group to that of the individual. This enabled each and every colonist. They were not only working for the whole but themselves now. Importance was placed upon the individual and self-reliance, by means of spirituality, was becoming more the common place. A type of individual freedom took place which ...

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...rmed a Masonic cornerstone laying rite upon the United States Capital dressed in white gloves and a Masonic apron.

Overall, when looking at the American Revolution and the actors who played a role in its creation, it is plain to see that religion had an impact and influential stance in the founding of the nation. The heart of dissent was entrenched in the colonies before there was a revolution and the practices of religious tolerance, freedom, democracy, and liberty were found in several organizations and churches. It would only be time until the members of the several churches and organizations would bleed over their spiritual justifications into the realm of politics and nation building. The United States owes a lot of praise to the pilgrims and religious founders of this nation, for without their ideals and changes, this country might not be in existence today.