When the Europeans begun their exploration and subsequent colonization in North America, their religious beliefs and practices were a significant tool in how they conquered and approached the local natives, although majority of them already had their own religious practices. These religious influence dictated how they interacted with the natives, got rights to land and subsequently got control of the land from the natives (Wright et al. 156). Show
It is no doubt that the quest for religious influence and autonomy was one of the aiding factors in the colonization of America by the Europeans. The Europeans felt that the local native religions were very naïve and barbaric and hence sought to change their beliefs. On the other hand, there were a lot of religious conflicts and discriminations that were taking place in Europe which resulted in bloodshed and loss of livelihood. Hence, most of the immigrants who were migrating into North America were doing so in the search for a land where they would practice their own religious practices without any discrimination from rival denominations which was happening at the time. Therefore, many different religions came to North America and settled in different geographical regions which formed a base on how religion influenced the colonization of these states. Consequently, the different states adopted different types of denominations across North America, thus each denomination exercised its religious influence through colonization of its given geographical area resulting in different pattern’s of religious denominations settlements across North America. The immigrants, who were Europeans, felt that they were superior to the natives who were mostly Red Indians and it was their responsibility to convert these locals to their respective denominations that they had observed in Europe. Despite the fact that the Europeans professed to be religious and act in accordance to Christianity and respective religious denominations, they were always in conflict with their religious ideologies. For instance, they saw themselves as more superior to other people, natives, and considered them less of humans as compared to them. This was contrary to their religious beliefs which observed that all humans were equal before God. In addition, they used religion as a basis to propagate colonization of North America instead of using it to promote peace and understanding between the immigrants and the natives. Also, the Europeans did not respect the rights and practices of the natives. The natives considered the environment sacred and so did the Christian religious views. But the Europeans who confessed to Christianity did not observe this as they fell down trees and hunted animals for the fun of it which was not only offensive to the Red Indians but was in conflict with the Christian ideologies on tolerance, respect and the environment. In addition the locals were treated in a very inhumane manner, whereby the Europeans liked them to animals. In some states the natives were persecuted when they objected to be convert to Christianity which they, Europeans, termed as a salvation process. Additionally, the Europeans engaged in massive looting and plundering of natural resources that initially belonged to the natives, for instance they looted the Indians gold mines on the pretext of converting lost souls to Christianity, which was in total conflict with the Christian teachings (Tindall & Shi 98). In conclusion religion played a great role in the colonization of North America as the Europeans used it as a tool to spread their ideologies to the natives whom they considered uncivilized. Nevertheless, even though the Europeans considered themselves as having the “right religion” they did not adhere to its ideologies but merely used it to spread their own ideologies which contradicted with the Christian views. Works CitedTindall, George & Shi, David. America A Narrative History, 8th Edition. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print. Wright, Ron. et al. Readings in United States History, Sixth Edition, Volume 1. New York: Springer, 1993. Print. This cause and effect essay on How Did Religion Affect the Pattern of Colonization in America and Life in Those Colonies? was written and submitted by your fellow student. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. Removal Request If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Request the removal Need a custom Cause and Effect Essay sample written from scratch by 801 certified writers online Religion and ColonizationSusanne Lachenicht LAST MODIFIED: 15 January 2019DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199730414-0311IntroductionFor the process of European expansion and the colonial endeavors from the late 15th century to the 19th, historians of the Atlantic world have more often than not identified the imperial states as the most powerful players: the Portuguese, Spanish, French, Dutch, and English (later British). From these empires’ perspectives, colonization was also about converting the “heathen” to, first, Catholicism, and then, with the Reformation and the rise of different varieties of Protestantism, to other denominations as well. Colonization in the early modern period was as much about religious missions, about “the harvest of souls,” as it was about expanding territorial boundaries and economic resources (Lachenicht, et al. 2016, cited under General Overviews). What Lauric Henneton has dubbed the “spiritual geopolitics” of the Atlantic world (Henneton 2014, cited under Puritan Colonization Schemes) is an important feature in the conquest and colonization of the Atlantic world. While Catholic and Protestant institutions supported the imperial powers’ colonization schemes, the former had agendas of their own, which at times clashed with more worldly colonization schemes. Among the most powerful of these religious enterprises, we find next to the Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans, and Capuchins a number of Protestant churches and communities. This is especially true for the later 17th and 18th centuries with so-called evangelical Protestantisms: Quakers, Halle Pietists, Moravians, and others. Many of these religious orders and communities had not only Atlantic but global networks that stretched from European to African, American, and Asian worlds—in the 19th century also to areas within the Pacific including Australia and New Zealand. In the early modern period, many religious minorities were heavily persecuted for their faith. Forced to migrate, a number of imperial states decided to “make use” of these religious minorities to populate their overseas colonies, to strengthen their might and prosperity. Tolerance, then, was about “suffering” the “religious other”—and about utilitarian motives that included colonization schemes (Lachenicht 2017, cited under General Overviews). Not only Sephardi Jews but also Huguenots, Quakers, Moravians, and others became—as Jonathan Israel has put it for Sephardi Jews—“agents and victims of empire” (Israel 2002, cited under Sephardi Jews and Colonization). General OverviewsWhile very few studies deal with the topic of religion and colonization in a holistic or comprehensive perspective (Muldoon 2004), more recent research has emphasized the role of religion and theology in Atlantic colonization schemes and imperial politics at large, be it for the British Empire (Armitage 2000; Noll, et al. 1994; Pestana 2009), the Spanish (González and González 2008, Wade 2008), or the Dutch (Zijlstra 2014). Some edited volumes and articles on early modern diasporas, such as Lachenicht, et al. 2016, also draw on the role of persecuted religious minorities for empire-building in the Atlantic world, emphasizing their internal and external networks (Freist and Lachenicht 2016) or utilitarian motives for refugee accommodation (Lachenicht 2017).
back to top Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login. How to SubscribeOxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. What were the religious motivations for English colonization of America?RELIGIOUS MOTIVES
Non-conforming religious sects were persecuted as being treasonous to the king. These people sought to escape to America where vacant land and great distance from the mother country offered them a place to settle and follow their own consciences in religious matters.
How did religion play into the colonization of North America?In the early years of what later became the United States, Christian religious groups played an influential role in each of the British colonies, and most attempted to enforce strict religious observance through both colony governments and local town rules. Most attempted to enforce strict religious observance.
What role did religion play in English colonization?Religion was the key to the founding of a number of the colonies. Many were founded on the principal of religious liberty. The New England colonies were founded to provide a place for the Puritans to practice their religious beliefs. The Puritans did not give freedom of religion to others, especially non-believers.
How important was religion as a motivation for colonization?Answer and Explanation: Religion was undoubtedly a motivation for colonization, especially in the first few centuries. Spanish empire was particularly grounded in religious convictions; the history of the Spanish empire is often essentialized by the three G's: Gold, God and Glory.
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