The Protestant Reformation and Its Influence on American History essays

The Protestant Reformation and Its Influence on American History essays Much has been written about the Protestant Reformation but most of it has dealt with European countries and the changes that were caused by Protestant teachings. However, Protestant religion is a large part of America as well. Originally, most individuals who came to America were Catholic and the Catholic Church was very controlling of not only England but the settlers who came to America from that country and others (Tolson, 2003). However, there was a growing influence from Protestant congregations and this has been the case for many years. Around 40 percent of people who live in the United States today see themselves as a born- again Christians or as evangelical in some way (Tolson, 2003). While many people do not see the ties between 18th century Puritans in New England and conversion to born-again Christianity there is a great deal of similarities Simply put, American history is full of religious issues and difficulties (Tolson, 2003). Religion was one of the reasons that many of the settlers left England and chose to stay in America, and freedom of religion is still an issue for some. There are areas of the country where individuals are fighting over having the Ten Commandments posted in public buildings, and there is a man fighting to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance because he is concerned that his daughter may have to say this pledge. He is no longer married to the girl's mother. He is an atheist, and she is a born-again Christian. This puts the little girl in the middle and makes for very difficult times for her as well. However, even though this may be difficult for this little girl and there may be those who argue against it, it is all part of the freedom of religion that the Protestant Reformation actually brought to America. When the First Great Awakening came through the American colonies sometime in the 1740's ther...