What religions or religious groups were most significant, especially looking at the development of the thirteen American colonies?

In the history of the United States, faith started with the first pilgrim settlers who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620. (Bonomi 12). It is said that the pilgrim settlers professed the Protestant religion that is said to have inspired their migration from the European area to the New World as a group, where they could worship in harmony. The Pilgrim Community was significant because it contributed to the development of the first colonies. In the year 1848, the Spanish also set up a famous network of Catholic missions in California. However, the religion did not last long because after California became part of the United States, the Catholic missions were all closed down. However, the Catholic religion did not end there as it was still practiced by the French Catholic churches and some institutions that existed in Louisiana, New Orleans. As a result, it can be said that the Catholic religion was of great importance to the colonies (Stepan 42). For instance, the expansion of the Catholic religion was interpreted that colonies that supported the religion were also expanding. As a result of the expansion, there was the creation of several impacts. The major impact is that religious group began persecutions that spread across the colonies. The aim of the persecutions was to prevent expansion of the colonies while at the same time creating a superior religion that had dominance and power among the 13 colonies.The arrival of Puritans who were professing the Protestant religion faith was premeditated by the escape of religious persecutions in their original settlement. However, after settling in the Mayflower, the Puritans began their form of persecutions. In the area of settlement, there was no religious freedom in existence in the regions where Puritans settled, and it favored the expansion of the Protestant faith. Through its leader John Winthrop who later became the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Puritan religion foundation was laid. The religious group believed that they were going to establish a pure church in New England that was going to be a model of all the churches. As a result, the Congregational Church eventually grew out of the Puritan Church an aspect that led to the establishment of the Colonial New England colonies except for the Rhode Island that seemed to favor religious tolerance.The Catholic religion as mentioned earlier was of great importance. For instance, during the rule of King James II of England in the period 1685-1688 the American colonies were subject to monarch control. King James II was a staunch Catholic religion follower made attempts to replace the Protestants institutions with the Roman Catholic institutions (Kosmin). Since the majority of the colonies were Protestants, they detested the Catholics and feared bloody persecutions that had earlier on be witnessed in Europe. The persecutions were averted after King James tried to create religion liberty for the English Roman Catholic and Protestants nonconformists an action that was against the wishes of the English Parliament. As a result, there was a revolution that saw the replacement of King James II with King William III and Queen Mary II. As a result, there occurred subsequent revolts in the colonies believed to have been a precursor to the American Revolution.Works CitedBonomi, Patricia U. Under the cope of heaven: Religion, society, and politics in Colonial America. Oxford University Press, USA, 2003.Kosmin, Barry. One nation under God: Religion in contemporary American society. Three Rivers Press, 2011.Stepan, Alfred C. "Religion, democracy, and the" Twin Tolerations"." Journal of democracy 11.4 (2000): 37-57.

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