| 1607
- The first act of the Jamestown Landing Party was to erect a magnificent cross
representing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The second act of the Colonists
was to kneel down and commemorate the Last Supper together. Jamestown was the
site of the first Protestant Church in America, and Robert Hunt laid down his
life for this cause. Upon the base of the tallest and most conspicuous monument
in Jamestown reads: ". . . Make yourselves all of one mind for the good of your
country and your own, and to serve and fear God. . ."[7] 1620
- November 9, the Mayflower ship landed at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with 101 colonists.
On November 11, the Mayflower
Compact was signed by the 41 men, establishing a form of local government
in which the colonists agreed to abide by majority rule and to cooperate for the
general good of the colony. It was not a constitution but rather an adaptation
of the usual church covenant to a civil situation. The
Compact set the precedent for other colonies as they established governments.
It said, in part, "Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement
of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant
the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia . . ."[5] 1634
- 200 settlers, many of them Catholic, established the first settlement in Marys-Land
(Maryland), named for the Virgin Mary — lands granted to Roman Catholic Lord
Baltimore by King Charles I.[5,25] 1636
- In June, Roger Williams founded Providence and Rhode Island. Williams had been
banished from Massachusetts for "new and dangerous opinions" calling
for religious and political freedoms, including separation of church and state,
not granted under the Puritan rules. Providence then became a haven for many other
colonists fleeing religious intolerance.[5] 1681
- English Quakers granted a charter from Charles II to establish a colony (Pennsylvania)
where religious and political freedom could flourish.[6] 1682
- A large wave of immigrants, including many Quakers, arrived in Pennsylvania
from Germany and the British Isles.[5] 1682
- "All persons living in this province, who confess and acknowledge the One
Almighty and Eternal God to be the Creator, Upholder, and Ruler of the world,
and that hold themselves obliged in conscience to live peaceably and justly in
civil society, shall in no wise be molested or prejudiced for their religious
persuasion or practice, in matters of faith and worship; nor shall they be compelled
at any time to frequent or maintain any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever."
— Signed by William Penn to establish
religious liberty in the new Provence of Pennsylvania.[7] 1685
- Protestants in France lost their guarantee of religious freedom as King Louis
XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, spurring many to leave for America.[5] 1728
- Jewish colonists in New York City built the first American synagogue.[5] 1734
- In December, the Great Awakening religious
revival movement began in Massachusetts. The movement lasted ten years and spread
to all of the American colonies.[5] | 
