Religion In America (RELS 191) -Jenny Nguyen by Jenny Nguyen

Salem Witch Trials (1692-1693)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-02-09 03:29:28 UTC

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of prosecutions amongst dominantly women because of the accusations of witchcraft. It started from the observed strange behavior of multiple different girls, which instilled fear into the public with the assumption of witchcraft. This took place in Massachusetts; 200 people were accused, 30 were found guilty, and 19 were executed.

The Second Great Awakening (1790-1850)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-02-09 03:36:29 UTC

The Second Great Awakening was a period of religious revival in the United States during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This period focused on the concepts of having gripping and emotional religious experiences, social reform, as well as personal relationship with god. This movement showed the possibility of social changes through the utilization of religion.

The Ghost Dance Movement (1889-1890)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-02-09 03:43:36 UTC

The Ghost Dance was a Native American movement that was found by Wovoka, who was a Paiute prophet. He experienced a vision through his connection with the spirits about practicing the Ghost Dance in order to solve their issues. One of them would be the white settlers taking over their culture and land, as well as their need of connection with their ancestors. This movement spread to many different Native American Tribes and saw it as a practice of hope during the oppression of the white settlers taking over. It holds up today as a practice that held resistance against those who wanted to take away their culture and freedom.

Carlisle Indian Industrial School (1879)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-02-09 03:51:34 UTC

The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was a government funded project by Richard Henry Pratt that focused on absorbing and assimilating Native Americans into white settler American culture. It was the first off reservation boarding school for Native Americans. This was essentially genocide to Native American culture in the disguise of proper American education. Many were taken from their reservations, stripped of their clothing, and even had their names forcibly changed. Pratt’s motto was to “Kill the Indian and save the man.”

Industrial Revolution (1780-1830)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-02-24 05:38:01 UTC

The Industrial Revolution was a period in time that had a boom with great technological advancements and innovations. This was where inventions like the Spinning Jenny, Steam Engine, and new modes of transportation emerged.

The Cult of True Womanhood (1820-1860)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-02-24 05:47:06 UTC

The Cult of true Womanhood was a value system that put women on a pedestal of being the true caretakers of a good home. This concept was based on the assumptions that women are naturally more spiritual, whereas men were more political. The women were valued with the role of being able to “purify” the man’s heart, essentially pressuring women to conform to certain roles.

Nat Turner’s Revolt (1830)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-03-09 23:24:10 UTC

Nat Turner was an enslaved preacher who led a deadly slave revolt in the Southampton County in Virginia. This revolt ended with many white men, women, and children dead due to the violence of Nat Turner and his followers. After this tragedy, white people regained their power through them killing around three dozen black people in return.

Establishment of the Free African Society (1787)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-03-09 23:29:38 UTC

The Free African Society was founded in Philadelphia by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones. This was an organization that held religious services as well as medical care for free Africans. This was in efforts to bring in community and provide educational, economic, and social support for the growing free Black community.

Revival of the KKK (1951)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-03-09 23:37:38 UTC

The KKK’s resurgence during this time led to them targeting Catholics, immigrants, and Jews. This was due to their anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiments, due to many of Catholics being immigrants. They targeting them due to the idea that they didn’t align with “American values,” by committing acts like burning crosses in front of Catholic Churches as well as vandalizing them.

Know-Nothing Party (1849)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-03-09 23:45:08 UTC

The Know-Nothing Party was a political movement that was anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant, as well as Nativist. This political group came to be due to the emerging growth of Catholic immigrants coming into America. Their fear of new integration of religion were seen as threatening to “American values,” and is what pushed them to promote laws such as putting “native born” Americans over immigrants.

The Reform Movement (1842)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-17 07:46:30 UTC

The Reform Movement in 1842 was a major political movement that mainly began in Germany. The rise of this lead to a lot of German immigration. The first Reform congregation was in Baltimore, Maryland, which focused on challenging the political dominance and reducing corruption.

The Seventh-day Adventists (1827-1915)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-17 07:54:31 UTC

The Seventh-Day Adventists were a Christian religious movement/group that were rooted in beliefs that emphasized the "second coming of Jesus Christ," as well as the "Sabbath on Saturday." It was when Christ didn't return as their predictions, so they had reinterpreted the prophecy, which created new religious groups such as the Seventh-Day Adventists. The church has had a lot of impacts on American society in regards to areas like education, healthcare, religious diversity, etc.

Transcendentalism (1830s)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-17 08:01:38 UTC

Transcendentalism was a movement in the 19th century that emphasized the capability of an individual. It was mainly about the ideas of people being inherently good as well as the ability to connect with nature in order to find that true understanding life. It encouraged people to trust their inner thoughts and feelings rather than succumbing to traditional authority such as organized religion. Some key concepts would be self-reliance, non-conformity, as well as authenticity.

The Fox Sisters and Spiritualism (1848)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-17 08:10:00 UTC

The Fox Sisters were sisters that started the Spiritualist movement in America. It started from two sisters (Margaret and Kate) claiming that they could communicate with ghosts in their home through knocks. Eventually their older sister helped with promoting their abilities and eventually were known for their medium capabilities. This is how Spiritualism emerged and became extremely popular in the 1800s. Spiritualism is the a religious movement that focused on communication with spirits of the dead through mediums.

Arrival of Sufism in America (1910)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-17 08:19:20 UTC

Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam that arrived in the United States with Inayat Khan. He was a musician and spiritual teacher from India that wanted to share Sufi philosophy that presented universal truths to all religions. A lot of his teachings were the foundation for the growth of American Sufism and has influenced the spiritual experiences outside of traditional religion that has sparked many New Age movements.

First Wave of (Voluntary) Muslim Immigrants (1878-1924)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-17 08:27:46 UTC

The first significant and voluntary wave of Muslim immigrants was during the 19th to early 20th centuries. They came seeking new economic opportunities as well as a new lives in hopes to achieve political and religious freedom, away from places like modern day Palestine, Syria, India, Pakistan, etc. Many of these Muslim immigrants continued their lives in America working as laborers and merchants in cities like New York and Chicago. This lead to the first organized Muslim communities that echo to todays Islam in America.

First Buddhist Temples in San Francisco (1850s)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-18 04:10:58 UTC

The first Buddhist temples in America were founded by Chinese immigrants in San Francisco. The 1850s was a peak time for the Gold Rush, so they became centers of community as well as cultural preservation for many Asian immigrants. It challenged protestant dominance at the time and expanded the diversity of religion in America.

The Immigration and Nationality Act (1965)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-18 04:18:21 UTC

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 "put an end to race-based immigration quotas" and gave opportunity for immigration from Asia. This allowed for more Asian religious communities to grow in the United States. Although it was an important act, it prioritized wealthier and educated people instead of the working class. This leads into the image of Asians being the "model minority."

The Vietnam War (1964-1975)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-18 04:27:21 UTC

The Vietnam War shaped religion in America through anti-war activism through the form of faith. Thích Nhất Hạnh is an important religious figure that introduced a lot of the concepts on non-violence amidst the war. Activists like Thích Nhất Hạnh gave the general public a space to develop religious values and helped shift a lot of Americans how religion can affect real life issues like war through peace and resistance.

January 6th Insurrection (2021)

jennynguyen09 — 2025-05-18 04:37:48 UTC

The January 6th Insurrection showed America the threat of Christian nationalism. Rioters that wanted Donald Trump to win the election at the time used religious symbols (crosses, "Jesus is my Savior" flags, etc.) and language to justify their political violence. It raised concerns with the mix of religion as well as white supremacy regarding the democracy and nonviolence of day to day American life.