There are forgotten pieces of history that must have shaped what the United States of America is today. The people who kept George Washington alive when he was little and how they did it have been forgotten by most. Some of the less obvious inspirations John Locke had and what caused them have been lost. Even some of his meaning is lost in his writing. These things helped to make America and its government the way they are today. But there are some events so forceful and so ingrained in the group American psyche that they will never be lost. Those are picked out as the important moments in our history. Something that could easily be considered unimportant might have been one of the most important factors in American history: what religion King James II practiced. After decades of trouble over the question of whether England was Catholic or Protestant (a question that lead to the deaths of more than a few royals and many more citizens) no-one wanted more. The worry was that James’ child would be a Catholic child and would inherit the throne and throw England into chaos. James did not help matters by adding more and more perceived Catholic overtones to the Anglican church - a church that had moved away from Catholicism since Henry VIII ruled. So the question of one man and his child’s Catholicism alienated a band of radical protestants so much that they left England and started America on its path to becoming a powerful nation. The Pilgrims came to America first, looking for peace. The Puritans came later, looking to cleanse their Protestant faith. …show more content…
It took us 170 years between landing at Plymouth and all 13 states ratifying the Constitution as it was then; we took our time, but as we worked to form a more perfect union every step of those past events affected the