Why was religion an important part of colonial life in America?

Answer 1

Various Christian religious groups (specifically Protestant) played pivotal roles in all of the early British colonies. Most of them imposed their own strict religious practices through the local governments and town rules.

Laws mandated that everyone attend church and pay a sum annually toward the support of a town minister and his family. Every town had a meeting house where religious services were held. People who did not hold and observe the local religious practices were persecuted, punished and often forced to move on to another location. The various Christian denominations mistrusted each other and each thought their own way was the only way to serve God properly. There was sometimes vicious fighting among the various religious factions.

The Puritans dominated in New England. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by the Puritans who left England in large numbers seeking their own religious freedom. However, they did not allow the religious freedom of others in their new home. Laws were based on their interpretations of The Bible and punishments were harsh. They were extremely strict. Their way of life did not last long although their influence survives in the "puritanical" thinking that can still be detected in various forms in New England.

As Early America grew religious intolerance eventually turned to tolerance, although on different levels in different locations. The experience of harsh religious based civil laws eventually died out and people who came later knew they did not want to live life in the New World under such totalitarian rule. The "founding fathers" who wrote the United States Constitution were careful to leave religious mandates or religious influence in government out of American life.