Religious Conflict In Maryland, Massachusetts And Rhode Island

Aastha Bhandari

Prof .Galloway

History 1301

Sept 10 2017 Critical thinking 1 Religious conflict in seventeenth century and evolution of the colonies of Maryland, Massachusetts and Rhode Island

It has been said that United States is a nation founded on religious conflict and there are many religious conflict in United States history .Religious conflicts in the seventeenth century played a major role in the development of many English colonies. Until sixteenth century country belonged fully to Catholic Church. Each of the colonies of the United States was dominated by their own brand of Christianity. Many religions were able to establish themselves in America,

Within Maryland, Protestant opposition to the Catholic proprietor led to open conflict on several occasions, while the Toleration Act was an attempt to prevent it. Puritans in Massachusetts created a society guided by religious requirements and sought to stamp out religious dissent. Suppression of colonists like Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson led to the creation of Rhode Island, a colony that, in contrast to Massachusetts, permitted freedom of religion. The Massachusetts colonists did not face nearly as many hardships as the Jamestown and Plymouth settlers before them did. The colonists had taken careful steps to prepare for their venture, and they also received a constant flow of new settlers, which helped replenish supplies and helped the colony grow. Many of the immigrants were well educated and their skills helped the Bay Company succeed in various industries. Since the soil in the northeast was not favorable to farming, the Bay Company made the most of the forests and water resources by establishing mills for grain and lumber, developing the fishing industry, using the local timber for shipbuilding, and using the harbors to promote trade. The Bay Colony quickly became the largest and most influential of all of the New England colonies. The British New England colonies included Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and

Of the 102 passengers on the Mayflower there were 41 Christian Puritan Separatists known as the Leiden group. They were called Pilgrims by the other passengers. They were seeking a new life of religious freedom after being exiled by the Church of England. The Pilgrims (Puritans) drafted an agreement, the mayflower compact, which had rules that would guide and help them to establishing a new community amicably. The Mayflower Compact was signed on November 21, 1620 and served as the official Constitution of the Plymouth Colony. It became a royal colony in