The Mayflower Religion

From the very beginning America has had deep seated roots in philosophy and Religion. Religion is the single strongest component during the pre founding of the United States of America. The Mayflower Compact though eventually lost was a covenant signed on the Mayflower as the basis of what the government was to be in the colony. Religion was the subject for almost the entirety of this covenant and God is mentioned several times. “ In the Name of God, Amen...the loyal subjects of out dread Sovereign Lord King James, By the grace of god...Defender of the faith. Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith...a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern Parts of Virginia...In the Presence of God and one another, …show more content…
Mayhew, more famous for his slogan “no taxation without representation” was influential in addressing the issues brought up in the “Bloudy Tenent of Persecution”that Religious freedom and toleration was necessary to create an ideal society. Mayhew argued for obedience to the government and to civil rulers; insisting that rebellion and a call to arms was necessary only in the most dire of circumstances. Citizens held the right to overthrow any government that no longer promoted or protected public welfare or fundamental rights. These fundamental rights are the very rights that would eventually become the first amendment; the right to free religion, speech , press and assembly. The first line of this sermon begins with the assertion that there is no true power but God, That everyone of this earth will be judged by the higher power. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God”. This line does two things, firstly it puts an emphasis on the importance and influence of religion, but more importantly it began the thinking that government was worldly and needed to be checked often to insure that natural rights were protected. Mayhew never says the Christian god and he exact words are “higher powers”. Mayhew is not favoring Christianity but merely …show more content…
James Otis and Samuel Adams both addressed this issue separately in an attempt to establish what rights colonials had as humans. Religion was a key point in proving the rights of all mankind both black and white. James Otis goes into great detail in his “Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved”. Otis believed that supreme power lies within the people and although having a government is within human nature we as people have never renounced our “divine rights”. James Otis clearly believes that our natural rights as man is divine in origin and our divine right is to act freely and create a sovereign earthly power that presides over man to ensure quality of life and appeals only to heaven. The role of government as written here is “ The end of Government being the good of mankind, points out its great duties: It is above all things to provide for the security, the quiet and happy enjoyment of life,liberty and property. There is no one act which a government can have a right to make, that does not tend to the advancement of the security, tranquility and prosperity of the people”. It was laid out for all to understand that a government is created by god given rights to create a system to protect natural rights, these rights being the basics of prosperity such as property, freedom, security and the simple freedom to merely enjoy life if nothing