Exercise: Religious Dissenters and American Colonization

Instructions: Navigate to the web exhibition "America as a Religious Refuge: The Seventeenth Century," which is part of the Library of Congress's American Memory Project and its exhibition on religion in American history. Read the essays and examine the visual and print images that accompany the text; then answer the following questions.

Visit URL: Religious Dissenters and American Colonization

Question 1: What were some of the ways in which religious dissenters were persecuted in early modern Europe? Which groups tended to receive the harshest treatment? What were the specific reasons that this type of persecution existed on such a large scale? What conclusions can we draw about the place of religion in European politics and culture from examining these episodes of persecution?

Question 2: In what ways did religious persecution motivate people to undertake the often arduous process of journeying to the American colonies? Can you think of any modern examples of religious persecution and resettlement of peoples as a result? Has much changed since the seventeenth century?

Question 3:  From your reading in the section on Puritanism, describe what you see as the strongest examples of how Puritan beliefs shaped the settlement and early development of the New England colonies. Why were the Puritans seen as such a threatening sect by much of the English establishment? Do you think the Puritans were radicals? Why or why not?

Question 4:  From the materials you looked at in this exhibition, how would you describe the impact and importance of religious traditions in the development of the English colonies in North America? What were the elements either aided or impeded the growth of religion in the colonies? Would you characterize colonial society in the seventeenth century as a predominantly religious one? Why or why not?

Question 5:  One of the principal ironies of this story is the fact that as religious diversity increased in the colonies, so too did instances of religious persecution on this side of the Atlantic. What examples can you find of religious persecution in the colonies themselves? How do you explain the rise of these types of persecution in areas that were settled by people who were victims of persecution themselves?

Question 6:  Based on your reading, which colonies can you identify that tended to attract religious dissenters and why? Describe some of the particular areas that became home to specific persecuted groups—why do you think there was there such a strong connection between specific colonies and sects?