Kaitlyn Thomas

Professor Kimberly Lark

HIST 151

23 April 2017

There are many influences that helped shape America. Religion and traditions are some of the

major influences in the history of America. Looking for religious freedom was one of the main

reasons the the colonist started traveling to new places. This helped create new ideas and

traditions for the future (The Colonies-Introduction).

The Jamestown settlers explored new land because they wanted to search for places to help them

prosper economically, this was not the what the founders of the New England colonies had in

mind. They were seeking religious freedom. The Puritans and Pilgrims that left Britain wanted to

create a new society where they believed they could spread the gospel freely. They wanted to

separate themselves from the Anglican Church. If you had proclaimed a controversial faith to

what the church believed, you were persecuted. So they decided to head to the New World,

where their children could be raised without the strict laws of the old English religion.

At first, not all of the colonist voyaged to the New World, some headed to the Dutch

Netherlands. They went to start a new life, but came to realize it was not the life they wanted.

Their children started speaking Dutch and leaving behind the English traditions their family had

instilled in their lives. Their morals had changed too, they became focused on worldly goods

instead of focusing on serving their God. Many chose a new religion and turned their backs on
what they had been taught from when they were little. Quickly they decided the Netherlands was

not where they wanted to settle. Over one hundred travelers boarded the Mayflower and headed

to the New World, where they could keep their morals and traditions New England had placed in

their lives. They were headed to Virginia to live however, they ended up near Plymouth Rock.

This allowed the settlers to create their own colony and set the foundation for their own

democracy.

When everything was finally settled, they quickly realized that new religions, traditions and

morals were going to come into play. Before the colonist came to America, there was already a

variety of traditions and religions among the different tribes. This contributed to how America

was going to be shaped. America had become a melting pot, with religions and traditions from

Germany, Scotland, Britain, and France (New England Colonies).

Its important to not only study national history, but local history as well. Studying history is

much more than learning from past success and failures. There are many reasons we should

study history, first, it shows us our own identity. Without every single thing that has happened in

history, we would not be here today (McNeill). If we did not study history, we would not

remember what has happened that has helped us get here. History also gives us cultural literacy,

this helps us understand important dates, people, places, and events. It also gives us meaning, it

shows us the importance of our past, what we are made of, and what we are able to achieve.

History is a lesson to everyone who studies it. Because we learn from history, it teaches integrity,

it teaches us to recognize our mistakes, learn from them, and move forward. It teaches us to not
dwell on the past, we can not change it. Knowing the history of where you live, your culture,

your ethnicity, etc., helps you understand who you are and where you have come from (Postma).

When we learn about our history, we are able to understand the present and prepare for the

future. It helps us paint a picture of what he hope for the future to look like. Many things have

played a factor in our history (Hodges).

Hodges, Blair. "Hodges- Final Essay, On Rhetorical Uses of History to Understand the Present."
Academia.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
McNeill, William H. "Why Study History (1985)." Why Study History? (1985) | AHA. N.p., n.d.
Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

"New England Colonies." HIST 151: Early America - US History. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

Postma, Michael. "What Can History Teach Us Today?" ASCD Express 6.22 - What Can History
Teach Us Today? N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

"The Colonies-Introduction." HIST 151: Early America - US History. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr.
2017.