United States religious history facts for kids

Religion has always been an important part of life in the United States. It started with the beliefs and spiritual ways of Native Americans. Later, when European settlers came, religion played a big role in why some colonies were founded. Many early settlers, like the Puritans, came to America to escape religious unfairness in their home countries.

Historians still discuss how much religion, especially Christianity, influenced the time of the American Revolution. Many of the Founding Fathers, who helped create the United States, were active in their local churches. Some of them had ideas like deism, which means believing in a creator but not necessarily in organized religion. Famous examples include Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. Some people say the U.S. was built on Protestant ideas, especially Calvinist ones. Others point out that the American Revolution and the country's founding documents were more about secular (non-religious) ideas.

African Americans were very important in creating their own churches. Most of these were Baptist or Methodist. Their ministers often became strong leaders in both moral and political ways. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, many large Christian groups started sending missionaries overseas.

Protestantism in America

Protestantism has always been the main type of Christianity in the United States. It includes many different groups, called denominations.

Mainline Protestants and Social Change

In the early 1900s, some major Protestant groups, known as "Mainline Protestant" churches, promoted the "Social Gospel". This idea encouraged Americans to work for a better society. One strong demand was for the prohibition of liquor, meaning alcohol would be illegal.

Rise of Evangelical Churches

After 1970, mainline churches (like Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians) began to lose members. At the same time, more conservative Christian groups grew quickly. These included evangelical, fundamentalist, and charismatic churches, such as the Southern Baptists. These groups became very influential in politics, forming what is known as the Religious Right.

Catholicism and Other Religions

While Protestantism is the largest religious group, the United States has always had a notable Catholic population.

Growth of the Catholic Church

As the U.S. expanded into areas once controlled by Spanish and French empires, the number of Catholics grew. Later, many immigrants came from Catholic countries in the mid-1800s and 1900s. This greatly increased the number of Catholics and added to the diversity of the Catholic Church in America.

Other Faiths Arrive

These waves of immigration also brought many people who practiced Judaism and Eastern Orthodoxy to the United States. Even though the Catholic Church is the largest single religious group, Protestantism as a whole (all Protestant groups combined) remains the biggest religious force in the U.S.

Religion in the 21st Century

In the late 1900s, many countries in Western Europe became less religious. However, the United States largely kept its strong religious beliefs. By the 2000s, the U.S. was one of the most Christian of all major Western nations.