Baptists in the Religious Landscape of the Thirteen Colonies: Towards Religious Freedom and Diversity

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the influence of Baptist groups on the emergence of religious diversity and secularism during the colonial history of the United States. Baptism, which penetrated North America in the first decades of the English colonization of the continent, is currently the second largest denomination in the United States after Roman Catholicism. The colonial history of American Baptism, despite the tradition’s lengthy presence on the continent and enormous social influence in the southern states, is an example of a long and persistent struggle for both the hearts of believers and religious freedom. In the Thirteen Colonies, Baptists were subjected to local persecution, which did not stop the growth of the Baptist tradition throughout the colonial period. Baptism advanced as a result of both immigration of Baptist groups from Britain and active proselytism, including among African slaves. Baptism appealed to people due to the simplicity of its worship, emphasis on personal piety and strict adherence to the Bible. The form of organization, with the independence of each local congregation of believers, also played a significant role in the establishment of the Baptist tradition in the colonies. This allowed various Baptist communities to develop independently of each other in the peripheral regions. Being an oppressed group, Baptists actively fought for religious freedom and played a major role in the formation of secular society in early America. Thus, Roger Williams, one of the founders of the Baptist tradition in the colonies, established the first religiously tolerant colony in the New World – Rhode Island. Moreover, individual groups of Baptist settlers participated in the colonization of the borderlands of the Thirteen Colonies, forming new religious landscapes in the early American Frontier.