Freedom Of Religion In Colonial America

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Freedom of Religion

The Bill of Rights can be found in the Declaration of Independence, and the Declaration of Independence came from the founding fathers of America, who were frustrated with the way they were being treated by the British government. The Bill of Rights is the first of the ten amendments to the Constitution, coming to address the most pressing issues the colonists had with the British government. One of these amendments is the First Amendment, which 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.” …show more content…
One of those pressing issues was religion. The colonists and new American citizens practiced many religions, according to “The National Museum of American Religion." Some religions practiced in the colonies were: “The New England colonists were largely Puritans, and the Southern colonies were largely Anglican. The Middle became a mixture of religions which included Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jews, and others.” (“Impact of religion in Colonial America”). Even the founding fathers came from many different religious beliefs and backgrounds, but besides this, they made sure to include freedom of religion in the First Amendment because it was a very pressing issue at the time of America's founding. Historically, the founding fathers wanted this religious freedom because there were many laws, discriminations, and punishments that came with not being the right religion or not practicing a certain religion in a certain way. One of these “laws” mandated that everyone attend a house of worship and pay taxes that funded the salaries of ministers. Eight of the thirteen British colonies had official, or “established,” churches, and in those colonies, dissenters who sought to practice or proselytize a different version of Christianity or a non-Christian faith were sometimes persecuted.” (“Religion in Colonial America: Trends, Regulations, and Beliefs”). Laws like these made it hard for other religions and versions of religion to live in harmony and unity with one another without
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