American Dream and Religion Influences Essay

Submitted By zoebug924
Words: 1095
Pages: 5
Open Document
Religious Influences and The American Dream Thomas Jefferson once said this about religion, “I have examined all the known superstitions of the world, and I do not find in our particular superstitions of Christianity one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology.” Freedom of religion is a choice America made when the Bill of Rights was written. People came from different countries because of the principle of freedom of religion. People found out about the opportunities in America and they decided to flee their country to come to ours. They came for the freedom of religion, meet the people who were spreading the word of God and enjoyed the knowledge of how the world was changing because of The American Dream. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison went into the 1787 Constitutional convention and pushed for religious freedom. Jefferson and Madison didn’t believe in picking a religion for the country. There were two sides the Dissenters, who disagreed with the idea of making an established church in Virginia and the people that were for the established church. Jefferson and Madison weighed in on the side of Dissenters. “The two men argued that the churchmen’s bill represented a dangerous abuse of state power that had no place in the newly independent nation. Religious choice was a matter of an individual’s conscience that must not be tampered with” (Baker 255). They truly believed without freedom of religion in the Bill of Rights there should not be freedom of press and speech. At the end of the convention the vote was 67 to 20 in favor of Jefferson’s bill and no established religion. Jefferson and Madison, as religious influencers, believed in the American dream and believed that people should always have a choice in what they believe. On the other side of the Religious Freedom debate, Patrick Henry was for establishing a church for Virginia. Henry wanted the Church of England established for the church. Henry countered that “complete religious freedom would surely allow dangerous religious radicals to try to undermine traditional religious ideas” (Baker 259). Henry had the most notable Church of England minister on his side. Minister Jonathan Boucher believed that if the Church of England was established, there would be social order, lawfulness, and peace in the colonies. (Davis 2). They thought if they did not establish a church then there would be disorderedness, confusion, and poor attendance at church. If Patrick Henry had won the debate and an official religion was established in America, many people would not have come to America for religious freedom and the American Dream. In 1787 there was a Constitutional Convention where the states gathered to revise the young nation’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation. It began on May 25, 1787, and the state’s job was to reorganize the federal government and secure protections of the rights of individual Americans. There James Madison who was the main author of the Constitution brought forth for his state of Virginia his strong concern of separation of church and state. “By 1787, seven states that had recognized the Church of England as the official church had ceased designation of any church as official. Those states included Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey and New York” (Baker 256). By the end of the convention nowhere in the draft of the Constitution were the words, “Faith in God” or “Christian nation.” By leaving out religious language the framers of the Constitution chose not to offend any religious sect and to let the free marketplace of religion operate. The new Constitution allowed people in America and immigrants to America to have freedom to believe in what they truly believe in and not what their country wanted them to believe in. Puritans, Methodists, Quakers, and other religions came to the new country to spread their word of God and start movements and colonies that were
Show More

Related Documents: American Dream and Religion Influences Essay

Racial Discrimination In America

The idea of the American Dream has inspired many Americans and immigrants for generations, but the lack of success for immigrants and certain racial groups has made the true definition of the American Dream questionable. The American Dream is the idea of reaching wealth and prosperity through hard work, despite whatever background one comes from. It is the basis for the preamble of the Constitution; but as time passed it seems as if the true definition of the American Dream is fading away and it…

Words 369 - Pages 2

American Dream Essay

The American Dream Nick The American Dream is different for everyone. People’s dreams are built upon what makes them happy, such as living in a big city or the great outdoors. People’s dreams can change as they become wealthier. They may also have more options to choose from as their opportunities grow. Dreams can grow from renting an apartment to owning land or a home. People everywhere have their own American Dream that defines them and changes with them. Opportunities influence a person’s…

Words 436 - Pages 2

Irish Immigrants In America

cultural communities in American society today, the United States, well known around the world as a metaphorical melting pot, continues to grow in population and diversity. People, cultures, and ideas, amass from across the globe to change what the world now calls America. One of the greatest ingredients in the melting pot, the Irish, helped to transform what constitutes Americanism. After the Potato Famine in Ireland, Irish immigrants flooded the New World, bringing with them dreams of a bright future…

Words 1580 - Pages 7

1 Amendment To The Constitution Always With You Essay

the Constitution because it influences everyone’s everyday life. The 1st Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This amendment permits and protects freedom of speech, gives the right to secure and practice any religion, assembly, press, and petition…

Words 2262 - Pages 10

Immigration Pawell Habi Cultural Diversity In The United States

distinct factor about the USA, however, is the theory of the American dream. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the American dream as “the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative”. Whether the theory is in accordance with reality is subjective, and although many individuals have different definitions of the American dream, the central thought is similar to this statement,…

Words 1762 - Pages 8

How Does The American Dream Affect Society

Over many years, many factors influence the American Dream, bringing into fruition its currently horrible state. When this nation was first established, the American Dream was nothing more than the desire to practice religion freely. Over the years, this desire to achieve a goal has been warped. The American Dream has changed... but not for the better. Personal agendas, material desires, and segregation continue to pollute the American Dream on a daily basis. In 1776, the population had the shared…

Words 582 - Pages 3

American Dream Essay

constantly. This has been known as “The American Dream”, which has also involved several other theories, beliefs and accomplishments throughout the different minds of America. One idea following the American Dream may state that one's children should grow up and receive a good education and career without artificial barriers, while another states the idea that people should not be discriminated according to their class, caste, religion, race, or ethnicity. The American Dream can also help and support one’s…

Words 988 - Pages 4

Anne Bradstreet: Four Characteristics Of The Colonial Period

education. This time period covers years 1492 through 1800. Three main historical events that happened during those years were the American Revolutionary War, “The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies on the North American continent.” (“American Revolutionary War”), Christopher Columbus, “Explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 in the Republic of Genoa…

Words 894 - Pages 4

Character Analysis: Bless Me Ultima

In life, individuals tend to live out their "lost dreams" through the action of other's. A world of opposing beliefs,can affect the growth of an innocent child to the point in which knowledge takes control of their actions. As shown in the novel "Bless me Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya,protagonist Antonio,his brothers,and sisters live in a world of cultural domination,in which Maria and Gabriel's cultural ideas affects the conscience of their sons to feel to have the sovereignty over their own destiny…

Words 1405 - Pages 6

Letters from an American Farmer Essays

definition of what makes a person an American is entirely different from what it is that makes up America, itself. J.Hector St. John Crevecoeur, author of Letters from an American Farmer (1782), exposes what he believes makes an American. However, when compared to the standards of what makes an American in today’s world, it seems that becoming an American then was much simpler then, than it is today. The definition of an American is always evolving due to the influences of our changing nation. During a…

Words 1235 - Pages 5