Abstract
This chapter introduces the complex history of the founding of America. Colonization of the United States was fueled by European upheaval unleashed by the Protestant Reformation. Religion in part gave birth to the United States. However, keeping religion out of government is a central question inherent in the history and culture of the U.S. The relationship among faith, politics, and culture is explored and contributes to either the support of or opposition to social change in state legislatures.
TopColonial America
In rapid succession, the English built a colony, Jamestown, in Chesapeake Bay in 1607, the French built Quebec in 1608, and the Dutch began their occupation of the region that became present-day New York. Within another generation, the Plymouth Company (1620), the Massachusetts Bay Company (1629), the Company of New France (1627), and the Dutch West India Company (1621) had begun to send colonists to North America. This colonization was a global contest among European powers to exploit these lands.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Deism: A philosophical position that posits God does not interfere directly with the world.
Free Exercise Clause: A provision of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, guarantees against governmental compulsion in religious matters.
Conservative: In this book, it is used to mean political and religious ideologies that seek to preserve the status quo.
Social Change: Alteration of the social order of a society that may include changes in social institutions, social behaviors, or social relations.
American Creed: A statement of the defining element of American identity, first formulated by Thomas Jefferson and elaborated on by many others, which includes liberty, equality, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire.
Establishment Clause: A provision of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, made applicable to the states by the Fourteenth Amendment prohibiting the enactment of laws establishing religion.
Liberty: The belief that government should allow people the freedom to do as they please without interference.
Blue States: Largely uncontested states in which a Democratic candidate for president is likely to win.
Pluralism: Theory that all groups are well represented and a singular interest controls government decisions.
Puritan: English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant.
Protestant Reformation: A major 16 th -century European movement initially aimed at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church leading to the reformulation of certain basic tenets of Christian belief and resulting in the division of Western Christendom between Roman Catholicism and the new Protestant traditions.
Federalism: A form of government that distributes power between national and subnational governments.
Culture: Ways of thinking or modes of behavior.
Bicameral: A legislative body consisting of two chambers of government.
Property Rights: A belief that people should be able to acquire, own, and use goods and assets free from government constraints as long as this use does not interfere with the rights of others.
Equality: The value that all Americans should be treated the same under the law and have an equal opportunity to succeed in life.
Pilgrim: A person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons.
Doctrine of Incorporation: A constitutional doctrine through which the first 10 amendments of the United States Constitution (known as the Bill of Rights) are made applicable to the states through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Democracy: The form of government in which the people rule either through direct or indirect participation.
Liberal: For purposes of this book, a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and the protection of civil liberties.
Morality: A particular system of values and principles of conduct, especially held by a specific person or society.
Calvinism: The Protestant theological system of John Calvin and his successors that develops Luther's doctrine of justification by faith alone and emphasizes the grace of God and the doctrine of predestination.
Red States: Largely uncontested states in which a Republican candidate for president is likely to win.