Early American Religions

Created by Mandi Ueland


lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/re102.html


You are a newcomer to the American Colonies. Religion is an important aspect of these new colonies. It is one of the main causes behind the trip to America and the formation of the new colonies. People left their home countries in order to practice their own religion. These brave new colonists sought religious freedoms and achieved their goals. It is now up to you to find your religious freedom!


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TASK

Your task as the head of your household is to browse throught the printed material offered below. This material addresses different religions. You must read through all the religions in order to find the one that you feel is best for you and your family. Once you've found the religion you think is the most suitable, you must prepare a speech for your entire family so that you can convince them that this religion you have chosen is right for all of you. In order to present a strong argument for the chosen religion, you must include at least three major points from the material. Listed below are some links which will lead you to some different religions.

RESOURCES
Jonathon Dickinson's thoughts on the Christian Faith
The Church at Jamestown
Free Exercise of Religion
List of Early American Religions
Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
Propogating the Gospel

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THE PROCESS
  1. Follow the links above to research material on several religions.
  2. While browsing through the material, take notes on the key points from each article.
  3. Choose which religion you feel would be the best for your family.
  4. Prepare a speech or an essay, at least five typed paragraphs in length. You must also follow the proper format: the introductory paragraph, the body paragraphs and the closing paragraph. In this speech or essay, you must include at least three key points to support your argument for this religion.
  5. Present your speech or essay to the class.

LEARNING ADVICE

It might be a good idea to organize the information you have researched. This way, you will be able to find the information easier and have it related to each specific religion. Creating a concept map may be the easiest tool to use. A concept map organizes all related material by branching out from general to specific. Draw lines to link each idea to the general term in the middle. Also, you could use a summary table which would allow you to put information about a specific religion is a table format. Create a format where each religion has its own column and then create boxes under each and add main ideas about each religion. Then go through your material and summarize the important points for each category.

CONCLUSION

By completing this webquest, you should have gained some knowledge on the many different religions that were practiced during the Early American Period. I hope you saw how difficult it was for some groups to exercise their freedom of Religion. Even though America is the land of the free, it was not always so open to many religions.


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