What Role Did Religion Play In The Early Republic

Religion and the founding of the government were intermixed when our nation was founded. The needlework, “Hanging of Absalom”, was made shortly after the Boston Massacre in 1770. It was a biblical representation from the story of Joab defeating Absalom, but it related to what was going on politically in British North America at that time combining the church and state. This needlework represented religion in general, not one specific denomination. Women in the early republic produced needlework that included religious ideas as a common part of most people's lives. Yet the art was not suggesting any specific denomination, rather it was very general. Religion played a huge role in the early republic. Many people migrated to British North America

Cartoons used the Bible to explain politics to the everyday person. Even needlework played a role, (as mentioned before): the Hanging of Absalom1 strongly depicted the story of Joab, but instead Joab was dressed as a British red coat, slaying Absalom(the slaying of Absalom represented when a red coat shot into a crowd in Boston); this greatly increased the knowledge of the colonists understanding of the political events simply by relating those events to Bible stories. One of the most important roles religion played in the early republic was actually convincing people to go to war and become a

Ministers preached sermons that supported the revolutions, and this idea was from Elizabethan time. Well known revolutionaries came from many denominations. The Northwest Ordinance, that was passed July 13, 1787, stated that, “Religion, Morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, Schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”2 Along with that statement, the belief that a virtuous society would only come from a relationship between church and state also evolved. Yet, this conflicted with freedom of religion. Congress decided not to give financial aid to churches in the Western part of the United States at that point; unlike some churches where they were financially aided, but not long after, a plea from Bishop John Ettewein convinced Congress to give Ohio 10,000 acres of land. Congress also supported the church by allowing church services to be held in the House of Representatives, War of Office, and the Treasury starting in the eighteenth century because of limited space in the District of Columbia. In the 1850s, services were still running in the House regularly. Jefferson (and later Madison), were often seen “supporting” the church by attending services