THE ROLE OF PROTESTANTISM IN SHAPING THE POLITICAL TRADITIONS OF THE ENGLISH COLONIES IN NORTH AMERICA

Abstract

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the colonization of North America by Europeans, mainly from Britain, took place. Among them, a significant number of people were those who were persecuted in their homeland for religious reasons. At that time, after the Reformation, conflicts and wars on a religious basis arose in European countries.
A significant portion of the colonists were Scottish Puritans, who were followers of John Calvin. There were also other colonists who were followers of Calvinism. They were persecuted in Britain and other European countries. Catholics who were persecuted in England also ended up in North America. Among the colonists were supporters of the Church of England, who had the support of the royal authorities.
In the 18th century, radical Protestant movements (Baptists, Mennonites, Quakers, Pietists, Moravian Brethren) spread in North America, and were persecuted not only in Europe but also in colonized lands. However, in North America they had better conditions for existence. By that time, the ideas and practice of freedom of conscience were beginning to take hold here. Representatives of these radical movements showed noticeable activity in organizing their communities and spreading their beliefs.
By the mid-18th century, American Christianity was already a complex system of religious diversity. It remained European in origin, but gradually acquired new "American features" – an active role of the laity, practical autonomy of communities, and tolerant coexistence of different religious traditions. It was in this religious polyphony that the ideas of freedom of conscience and separation of church and state matured, which later formed the basis of the political philosophy of the United States of America.