Overview
The lecture explores the complex and often troubled history of religious tolerance in the United States, challenging the myth of America as a longstanding refuge for religious freedom.
American Myth vs. Reality
- The common belief that America has always championed religious freedom is contradicted by historical events.
- Early school narratives focus on the Pilgrims and Puritans seeking religious freedom but ignore their own intolerance.
- Religion was used to discriminate against, oppress, and often violently exclude others.
Colonial & Early US Religious Intolerance
- First European religious encounter (1564) saw French Huguenots massacred by Spanish Catholics in Florida.
- Puritans in Massachusetts Bay Colony enforced a strict theocracy and punished dissenters like Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson.
- Non-Puritans, especially Catholics and Quakers, were persecuted and sometimes executed.
- Colonies enacted discriminatory laws against Catholics, Jews, and other non-Protestants.
Founders’ Contributions to Religious Freedom
- Thomas Jefferson and James Madison advocated for separation of church and state in Virginia.
- Madison’s “Memorial and Remonstrance” argued religious freedom as an inalienable right and warned against state-supported religion.
- Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom (1786) protected people of all faiths and none.
- The U.S. Constitution banned religious tests for public office and omitted reference to God, making America a secular republic.
- Washington, Adams, and Jefferson promoted liberty of conscience and secular governance.
Ongoing Struggles and 19th-20th Century Developments
- Anti-Catholic sentiment persisted into the 1800s, fueling riots, church burnings, and anti-immigrant violence, such as the 1844 Philadelphia Bible Riots.
- New religions like Mormonism faced violent persecution; founder Joseph Smith was killed, and Mormons were expelled from Missouri.
- Anti-Semitism and fear of atheism remained strong in later centuries; candidates like JFK and Mitt Romney faced suspicion due to their faiths.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Religious Test — A requirement to adhere to a particular religion to hold public office.
- Theocracy — A government controlled by religious leaders or based on religious law.
- Secular Republic — A government that separates religious institutions from state institutions.
- Memorial and Remonstrance — Madison’s influential essay advocating religious freedom and opposition to state-supported religion.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom and Madison’s “Memorial and Remonstrance.”
- Reflect on how current debates around religious freedom echo historical conflicts.