Religion and ColonizationSusanne Lachenicht LAST MODIFIED: 15 January 2019DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199730414-0311IntroductionFor the process of European expansion and the colonial endeavors from the late 15th century to the 19th, historians of the Atlantic world have more often than not identified the imperial states as the most powerful players: the Portuguese, Spanish, French, Dutch, and English (later British). From these empires’ perspectives, colonization was also about converting the “heathen” to, first, Catholicism, and then, with the Reformation and the rise of different varieties of Protestantism, to other denominations as well. Colonization in the early modern period was as much about religious missions, about “the harvest of souls,” as it was about expanding territorial boundaries and economic resources (Lachenicht, et al. 2016, cited under General Overviews). What Lauric Henneton has dubbed the “spiritual geopolitics” of the Atlantic world (Henneton 2014, cited under Puritan Colonization Schemes) is an important feature in the conquest and colonization of the Atlantic world. While Catholic and Protestant institutions supported the imperial powers’ colonization schemes, the former had agendas of their own, which at times clashed with more worldly colonization schemes. Among the most powerful of these religious enterprises, we find next to the Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans, and Capuchins a number of Protestant churches and communities. This is especially true for the later 17th and 18th centuries with so-called evangelical Protestantisms: Quakers, Halle Pietists, Moravians, and others. Many of these religious orders and communities had not only Atlantic but global networks that stretched from European to African, American, and Asian worlds—in the 19th century also to areas within the Pacific including Australia and New Zealand. In the early modern period, many religious minorities were heavily persecuted for their faith. Forced to migrate, a number of imperial states decided to “make use” of these religious minorities to populate their overseas colonies, to strengthen their might and prosperity. Tolerance, then, was about “suffering” the “religious other”—and about utilitarian motives that included colonization schemes (Lachenicht 2017, cited under General Overviews). Not only Sephardi Jews but also Huguenots, Quakers, Moravians, and others became—as Jonathan Israel has put it for Sephardi Jews—“agents and victims of empire” (Israel 2002, cited under Sephardi Jews and Colonization). Show
General OverviewsWhile very few studies deal with the topic of religion and colonization in a holistic or comprehensive perspective (Muldoon 2004), more recent research has emphasized the role of religion and theology in Atlantic colonization schemes and imperial politics at large, be it for the British Empire (Armitage 2000; Noll, et al. 1994; Pestana 2009), the Spanish (González and González 2008, Wade 2008), or the Dutch (Zijlstra 2014). Some edited volumes and articles on early modern diasporas, such as Lachenicht, et al. 2016, also draw on the role of persecuted religious minorities for empire-building in the Atlantic world, emphasizing their internal and external networks (Freist and Lachenicht 2016) or utilitarian motives for refugee accommodation (Lachenicht 2017).
back to top Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login. How to SubscribeOxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. What role did religion play in the growth and development of colonial North America?Religion was the key to the founding of a number of the colonies. Many were founded on the principal of religious liberty. The New England colonies were founded to provide a place for the Puritans to practice their religious beliefs. The Puritans did not give freedom of religion to others, especially non-believers.
What role did religion play in the settlement of North America?In the early years of what later became the United States, Christian religious groups played an influential role in each of the British colonies, and most attempted to enforce strict religious observance through both colony governments and local town rules. Most attempted to enforce strict religious observance.
What impact did religion have on colonization in North America?In conclusion religion played a great role in the colonization of North America as the Europeans used it as a tool to spread their ideologies to the natives whom they considered uncivilized.
How did religion impact the colony?Through the spread of religion in Colonial America, different colonies adopted different systems of faith that impacted how they viewed themselves, neighboring colonies, their relationship to England, and their relationship with indigenous peoples.
|
