Religious pluralism, the peaceful coexistence of different religious groups, has been such a hallmark of American society that its origins have been taken for granted rather than explained. Examining the earliest phase of English colonization, this book shows that pluralism was not at all the intended or desired outcome of explorers or colonists. On the contrary, it was imagined that the colonies would share the same religion as England. However, the long and contested series of religious and political changes unleashed by the reformation in England, Ireland, and Scotland subverted the creatio ... More

Religious pluralism, the peaceful coexistence of different religious groups, has been such a hallmark of American society that its origins have been taken for granted rather than explained. Examining the earliest phase of English colonization, this book shows that pluralism was not at all the intended or desired outcome of explorers or colonists. On the contrary, it was imagined that the colonies would share the same religion as England. However, the long and contested series of religious and political changes unleashed by the reformation in England, Ireland, and Scotland subverted the creation of religious unity overseas. Tracing the trans-Atlantic relationship between the politics of colonization and the politics of religion, this book shows how religious pluralism emerged out of persistent struggles over the religious life of the English world. Setting the Chesapeake and New England within the context of colonization efforts everywhere from South America to Canada, as well as outposts in India and continental Europe, it shows that the colonies that eventually became part of the United States were not exceptions to the broader pattern of English history but rather part of a spectrum of contested possibilities: and usually on the conservative end of that spectrum. American religious pluralism emerged as the fruit of both royal patronage and an ultimately regicidal revolution that gave Roman Catholics and radical puritans footholds overseas while preventing the establishment of complete religious conformity across the English world. It was an accident, not a national destiny.