Christian Origins of Democracy in America
David Roher HIST 701 America was founded as a Christian nation. It began in 1620 with the Puritans. We often think of the Puritans as the people in the Thanksgiving story, but we forget it was those first settlers of New England who brought democracy to this “new world”, not the first settlement in Jamestown Virginia . Our first example of democracy comes from the Mayflower Compact, an agreement signed by the Puritans as they were sailing to what would become the Plymouth Colony . The opening line of the document bears proof of their intent to make this a Christian country, “ In the name of God, Amen.” There can be no mistaking the intent of this document which clearly spells out that it was written for the purpose of “into a ci vil body politic.” The puritans did not create a democracy on their voyage over to the new world, they brought the idea with them. The Puritans had been practicing it in England when they “adopted the principle of congregational independence...