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Anne Hutchinson’s Trial and Banishment – 1637

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Anne Hutchinson’s Trial and Banishment – 1637

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Anne Hutchinson was a Puritan woman in Massachusetts Bay, who challenged church leaders by holding theology meetings and claiming she could interpret the Scriptures herself. Due to her speaking out as a woman, and her views on grace and predestination, she was put on trial. Within her trial Anne had refused to back down and got banished to Rhode Island. Anne's boldness made her a symbol of religious freedom, and an idol for early feminism.

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Enslaved Muslims in Early America – 1700s–1800s

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Enslaved Muslims in Early America – 1700s–1800s

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Historians have estimated that about 10–20% of enslaved Africans brought to the United States, between the transatlantic slave trade were Muslim. Omar ibn Said, was one of the slaves who was muslim, he was a scholar enslaved in North Carolina, and he practiced Islam while having to adapt to his new brutal conditions as a slave. Although, the stories of many muslim slaves have been erased, this simply shows how long Islam has been rooted within the history of the Untied States, ever since the beginning of the nation, even when it was hidden and silenced away.

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The First Great Awakening was a massive religious revival that swept through the 13th colonies. Many preachers such as: Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield held emotional open-air sermons calling people to repent and feel God’s power in their hearts. These sermons were much more personal, and filled with emotional conversion, and less about ritual and more about raw faith people had. The Awakening also led to less privileged people like woman and slaves, having a much larger role in religion. Later laying down the groundwork for future movements, and the questioning of authority.

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The Rise of the Shakers was a movement led by Mother Ann Lee. The Shakers believed in total celibacy, pacifism, and gender equality. They danced in worship, rejected traditional family roles, and lived communally. They also didn’t have kids, just orphans and converts. The movement challenged capitalism and gender norms. By the 1900s, their numbers had faded heavily. With only a very few Shakers remaining today.

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Jefferson’s Bill for Religious Freedom – 1779 (Passed 1786)

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Jefferson’s Bill for Religious Freedom – 1779 (Passed 1786)

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Thomas Jefferson wrote a groundbreaking bill in Virginia stating that no one should be forced to support or attend any religious practice. He argued that faith should come from reason, and not from force. The bill became law in 1786, establishing the separation of church and state and influencing how Americans protect religious liberties to this today.

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George Washington’s Letter to the Hebrew Congregation – 1790

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George Washington’s Letter to the Hebrew Congregation – 1790

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The letter of George Washington’s Letter to the Hebrew Congregation is a powerful message to the Jewish community in Newport, Rhode Island. President George Washington assured them that America would not only tolerate religion but would fully protect it. Writing, “To bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance,” setting the tone for religious liberty as a core American value.

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Tenskatawa's Vision and Prophetstown Movement – 1805

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Tenskatawa's Vision and Prophetstown Movement – 1805

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Tenskatawa was a Shawnee man who was once known for his alcoholism. Due to this, he fell into a deep trance and claimed a vision from the “Master of Life.” He was told to reject white customs and return to Native ways. With his brother Tecumseh, he built Prophetstown as a spiritual and political center for resistance. In 1811, United States forces burned the town, but the movement marked a powerful moment where religion and unity were used to push back against the colonial expansion.

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The founding of the AME Church came to be after racism in Methodist churches left Richard Allen and other Black leaders to form the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. It becomes the first independent Black denomination church within the United States, with the church rooted in faith and activism. The AME Church gives Black Americans a spiritual community, leadership, and a powerful voice for justice that still exists to this today.

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Anti-Catholic Nativism & the Know-Nothing Party – 1840s–1850s

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Anti-Catholic Nativism & the Know-Nothing Party – 1840s–1850s

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As Irish, Italian, and German Catholics arrived in the United States, fear had spread. Protestants worried that Catholics would follow the Pope over the Constitution. The Know-Nothing Party formed in 1849, pushing anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic policies. Riots had broken out, churches were burned, and Catholics were blamed for being “un-American.” Yet, Catholics built schools, churches, and slowly gained respect, within the Untied States.

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First Reform Synagogue in the U.S. – 1842

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First Reform Synagogue in the U.S. – 1842

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German Jewish immigrants brought Reform Judaism to America, modernizing worship with mixed choirs, family seating, less Hebrew, and even church organs. Isaac Mayer Wise arrived in 1846 and helped found Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati to train Reform rabbis and help Jews integrate into the U.S. societal structure. It was much less about theology and more about becoming an American.

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Oneida Community & Complex Marriage – 1848

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Oneida Community & Complex Marriage – 1848

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Founded by John Humphrey Noyes, Oneida rejected monogamy and capitalism. Everyone was "married" to everyone, men practiced self-control, and women had more freedom than almost anywhere else. They believed in perfection on Earth and shared everything. The community had lasted around 30 years and became famous for making silverware.

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Seneca Falls Convention & Stanton’s Woman’s Bible – 1848

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Seneca Falls Convention & Stanton’s Woman’s Bible – 1848

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Elizabeth Cady Stanton had organized the Seneca Falls Convention, the first public call for women’s voting rights. Alongside Susan B. Anthony, she used religious language to argue that women are morally strong enough to vote. Later, Stanton wrote The Woman’s Bible, editing Scripture to highlight women’s power. It shocked many, but pushed the boundaries of religion and equality, especially at the time.

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First Chinese Buddhist Temple in U.S. – 1850

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First Chinese Buddhist Temple in U.S. – 1850

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Chinese immigrants arrived in massive hordes during the Gold Rush and built the first Buddhist and Daoist temples in San Francisco. The 1852 Mendocino temple (Quanti Temple) honors a war god. These communities, made up mostly of single men in “bachelor societies,” faced massive amounts of racism and isolation, yet created religious spaces that helped preserve their culture and identity.

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Henry David Thoreau retreated into the woods, lived simply in a cabin by Walden Pond, and wrote Walden. Which was a reflection on nature, self-reliance, and the spiritual sickness caused by capitalism. Thoreau was influenced heavily by his mentor Emerson and Hindu philosophy. His ideas shaped environmentalism, civil rights, and the push for personal freedom within the United States

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Women Lead Temperance & Abolition – 1870s

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Women Lead Temperance & Abolition – 1870s

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The Woman's Lead Temperance was using identity as moral guardians of the home, women rallied against alcohol and slavery. Carrie Nation had smashed saloons with a hatchet. Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner Truth fought for both abolition and women’s rights. Through religion, they justify stepping out of the home and into public activism, laying the groundwork for the 18th and 19th Amendments.

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Stockton Gurdwara Founded by Sikh Immigrants – 1912

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Stockton Gurdwara Founded by Sikh Immigrants – 1912

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Sikh laborers, from Punjab, mostly farmers and railroad workers, opened the first gurdwara (Sikh temple) in Stockton, California. Denied land ownership and immigration rights, many married Mexican women and formed tight-knit communities. Despite the discrimination they faced, the Sikhs were able to establish places of worship that became anchors for Sikh identity in America.

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Scopes Trial Challenges Evolution in Schools - 1925

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Scopes Trial Challenges Evolution in Schools - 1925

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John Scopes was a high school teacher in the state of Tennessee who was put on trial for teaching evolution and violating the state’s Butler Act. The trial becomes a national spectacle. Clarence Darrow defended Scopes; William Jennings Bryan argued for creationism. It sparks a deep cultural clash between science and fundamentalist religion that still continues to this today.

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Jewish Refugee Crisis & U.S. Immigration Limits – 1930s–1940s

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Jewish Refugee Crisis & U.S. Immigration Limits – 1930s–1940s

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Fleeing Nazi persecution, Jews try to escape Europe, but the United States, refuses to raise immigration quotas. 83% of Americans oppose letting refugees in. Only the Dominican Republic opened its doors. Despite Eleanor Roosevelt’s efforts, most are turned away. About 200,000 make it, but the Holocaust pushes many Jews to reconnect with faith and identity.

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MLK’s “Loving Your Enemies” Sermon – 1957

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MLK’s “Loving Your Enemies” Sermon – 1957

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached in one of his most famous sermons at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. He calls on Americans to love their enemies as a Christian duty, showing how deeply Black Christianity shaped the Civil Rights Movement. His words reflected a theology of love and resistance built from centuries of Black faith and survival.

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The Farm Commune Founded by Stephen Gaskin – 1971

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The Farm Commune Founded by Stephen Gaskin – 1971

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After leaving San Francisco, Stephen Gaskin and 300 followers built “The Farm” in Tennessee, a commune blending Buddhism, Christianity, telepathy, midwifery, and householder yoga. Gaskin preached for group marriage, spiritual energy, and a shared life. His wife, Ina May Gaskin, became a pioneer in natural childbirth. Unlike many communes, The Farm rejected free love and centered on women.

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Seven Mountains Mandate & Dominionism – 2000s–Present

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Seven Mountains Mandate & Dominionism – 2000s–Present

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A key idea in the New Apostolic Reformation is that Christians must “take back” society by controlling seven areas, as follows: government, media, education, business, entertainment, religion, and family. Dominionists see politics as spiritual warfare, and America must be ruled by God's chosen people. This belief fuels movements tied to Trump, QAnon, and January 6th.

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Christian Nationalism & the Capitol Insurrection – January 6, 2021

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Christian Nationalism & the Capitol Insurrection – January 6, 2021

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During the Capitol riot, crosses, crusader slogans like “Deus Vult,” and shofars from Jericho marches appeared alongside QAnon flags and Trump banners. Many Christian nationalists believed Trump was a chosen one by God. This event highlighted how religion, conspiracy, and politics merged in a new wave of right-wing theories and ideologies.