The Disagreements between the First Settlers

The role of religion in the English colonies greatly varied from settlement to settlement. Some English settlements had religiously based governments. Other settlements were created as religious havens for persecuted Christian denominations. Many of these colonies differed from one other regarding actual religious beliefs dominant in their populations. The English colonies were thus dissimilar from one another both in terms of religious beliefs of their citizens and regarding how religion should be used in the government.

A prime example of a colony that had a religiously based government was Massachusetts Bay. This colony had a theocratic form government in which the church controlled the government. Another example would be Plymouth, the first colony in New England. Plymouth based its government completely on religious principles. Its “constitution,” the Mayflower Compact, made repeated mention of God. In addition, Plymouth’s leader and later governor, William Bradford held a religious vision for Plymouth, that it would be a colony with a direct covenant with God which would be an example for others to follow. Bradford’s sermon on the Mayflower expressed this vision, citing Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount “Ye are the light of the world. A city upon a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14, King James Version). This sermon indicated that they, the Plymouth Puritans, were the light of the world.

There were quite a few English settlements that were founded as havens for persecuted religions. Maryland, for example, was created as a haven for Catholics by Lord Baltimore, who gave his territory freedom of religion for all Christian denominations. He did this because he was Catholic and he knew that Catholics would be a minority in his colony and would be discriminated against unless there was freedom of religion. Additionally, Roger Williams guaranteed religious freedom in his settlement, Rhode Island, as well. He did this because he thought that there should be separation between Church and state. Furthermore, the colony of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn as a haven for Quakers who were persecuted in other English territories.

Lastly, the English colonies differed from one another regarding the actual religious beliefs of their citizens. Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay, for example, although both believed in the Church being the ultimate power in government had populations with sharply divergent religious beliefs. One group (Plymouth) held separatist religious convictions, and thus did not want to be a part of the Church of England. The colonists in Massachusetts Bay, in contrast, believed that they should not separate from the Church of England. Maryland and Pennsylvania had both been started as havens for persecuted religions, but both were for different religions. William Penn created his colony for Quakers, while in contrast Lord Baltimore made his for Catholics. Maryland, meanwhile, basically established freedom for all Christian groups—this religious freedom, however, was not extended to Jews (who were tolerated in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania).

To conclude, all the colonies differed from one another when it came to religion. They diverged when it came to actual religious beliefs and on what role religion should play in the government. All the colonies had a strong religious presence, yet almost every colony disagreed in some way with other colonies when it came to religion. Overall, the colonies did not agree with one other when it came to what role religion should play in their settlements.