Sermons, Colonial America, Facts, APUSH

Sermons in Colonial America were religious teachings presented by ministers and other spiritual leaders during church services. Ministers often merged religion with politics, especially during the American Revolution.

Essential Facts

Ministers sought to build a society based on Biblical Law and often held more influence than soldiers or politicians.
John Winthrop described the Puritan mission in the New World as a “city upon a hill.”
Jonathan Edwards delivered the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
Cotton Mather wrote around 450 religious books, pamphlets, and sermons.
Patriot and Loyalist ministers often merged religious and political themes during the American Revolution.
Ministers studied 8 to 12 hours daily to prepare sermons, lasting 2 to 4 hours.

Significance

Sermons are important to American History because they shaped early American culture by reinforcing shared religious beliefs and political ideals. Ministers provided intellectual, moral, and social guidance, helping unify the American Colonies through common language and purpose. Their preaching prepared colonists for independence by promoting a strong sense of community, personal duty, and a shared purpose.

History

Sermons played an essential role in religious and political life in Colonial America. Ministers like John Winthrop and Cotton Mather shaped the nation’s cultural identity through powerful messages emphasizing personal relationships with God. Sermons were educational, as many Americans could not read or write, but they were also intended to shape behavior through inspiration or fear. Sermons were often printed and distributed throughout the American Colonies, which helped bring notoriety to several preachers, including Jonathan Edwards and Jonas Clarke.

John Winthrop and the Vision of a Moral Colony

John Winthrop wrote City Upon a Hill in 1630.
It emphasized the importance of religion in everyday colonial life.
Winthrop used the phrase “city upon a hill” to describe Massachusetts, the Puritan colony.
He believed that the world would watch their settlement as an example.
Winthrop encouraged people to obey God’s voice and stay faithful.
He linked obedience to God with life and prosperity.

City upon a Hill — Refers to a famous sermon delivered by John Winthrop in 1630 to the Puritans aboard the ship Arbella as they prepared to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the sermon, officially titled A Model of Christian Charity, Winthrop envisioned the new colony as a “city upon a hill,” serving as a moral example for the world. He emphasized unity, charity, and a shared sense of purpose under God. The sermon is recognized as a symbol of American exceptionalism and the belief that the United States has a special mission to lead by example in promoting morality, Democracy, and Republicanism.

Puritan Goals for a Religious Community

Pilgrims and Puritans wanted to build a new society based on their religious beliefs, and ministers served as the main leaders in Plymouth and Massachusetts. These leaders:

Wanted to create a “heaven on earth” for themselves and future generations.
Believed they had a special destiny in the New World.
Wanted to worship and live without outside interference from the Church of England or the British Crown.
Treated the Bible as the only authority for laws and daily life.

Treatment of Religious Dissidents

Despite their desire for religious freedom, early ministers often reacted harshly to people who challenged their religious beliefs.

Anyone who challenged them faced punishment or banishment from the colony
They banned dissenters like Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson.
Puritan society valued strict religious unity and control.
Some dissidents, like Williams, founded new settlements and colonies.

Religious Writing in Colonial New England

At the time, Puritans viewed plays and novels as “evil” distractions. Because of this, most printed works were religious in nature.

Sermons and theological writings were the most common forms of literature.
Cotton Mather was the most productive writer of the time, producing around 450 printed publications.
All of Mather’s works were based on religious beliefs and sermons.

Religious leaders shaped early American literature through their writings and affected cultural changes. Cotton Mather’s book, Memorable Providences, Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions (1689), is believed by some to have inspired the girls who were involved in the Salem Witch Trials (1692–1693).

Jonathan Edwards and the Defense of Puritan Beliefs

Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan minister in Northampton, Massachusetts. He played a significant role in the First Great Awakening, a religious movement in the American Colonies during the first part of the 18th century. It is most well-known for creating an emphasis on spiritual devotion, individualism, and freedom that contributed to the ideals of the American Revolution.

Edwards followed a strict Puritan lifestyle and believed in Calvinist ideas.
Calvinism focused on predestination and human sinfulness.
He felt a strong duty to defend traditional religious beliefs.
Edwards opposed growing liberal ideas that challenged strict Puritan values.
One of his most famous sermons is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
He uses fear to emphasize God’s power and judgment.

“If God should let you go, you would immediately sink, and sinfully descend, and plunge into the bottomless gulf…The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked…he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the bottomless gulf.”

Emotional Reactions and the Decline of Strict Calvinism

These “fire and brimstone” sermons created strong emotional responses in the congregations, and people often reacted by crying and pleading for forgiveness.

These sermons focused on harsh judgment that resulted from sin.
The constant, severe preaching tone made some people feel alienated and turned people away from Calvinist teachings.

Sermons and the Growth of American Identity

Early ministers were often focused on saving the souls of the members of the congregation, and salvation remained the central theme in sermons from the 1600s through the 1770s.

Sermons showed strong consistency over more than a century, and helped lay the groundwork for the formation of the United States
They helped unite Americans through a shared vision that spread during the First Great Awakening.
Religious passion and devotion influenced the growth of independence and the Ideals of the American Revolution.

Adaptation of Sermons to a Changing Colonial Society

At the onset of the American Revolution, sermons kept their core message of abiding by Biblical Law, but adjusted to the changing societal values.

The main themes continued to be personal responsibility and liberty.
Ministers connected religion and freedom through a shared mission.
New England ministers still believed they could build the “city upon a hill.”

Sermons and Political Authority

In colonial New England, ministers held more influence than politicians or soldiers. Sermons often contained religious and political messages. There was very little Separation of Church and State in the Puritan Colonies.

Sermons joined church and state in a shared vision for society.
Early American life featured close ties between religion and politics.
Ministers shaped public values through their preaching.
Sermons played a central role in guiding colonial thought and identity.
Religious messages influenced the development of political beliefs.

Sermon as Social Events

Ministers like Jonathan Edwards often spent 8 to 12 hours daily in preparation, relying on their years of study, research, and prayer to help them develop the message.

Sermons could last from 2 to 4 hours.
They provided both religious teaching and education.
Sunday gatherings, which were called “Meeting” in New England, allowed people to hear news and connect with neighbors.

Sermon as a Source of Learning and Literature

Churchgoers paid close attention to sermons and often discussed them afterward.
Sermons taught doctrine, history, and classical literature.
Listening to sermons served as an informal form of higher education.
Many Americans gained deep knowledge without formal education.
Ministers sometimes published sermons for later review and reflection.
Sermons helped spread religious and intellectual ideas across the colonies.

Dominant Denominations in Colonial America

Two prominent tax-supported churches in 1775 were the Anglican Church and the Congregational Church (Puritans). A considerable portion of the population did not attend any church. In colonies with established religions, only a minority of the population belonged to them.

Congregational Church in New England

The Congregational Church, founded on the Puritan Church, was formally established in all New England Colonies except Rhode Island.
Initially, Massachusetts taxed all residents to support Congregationalism, but later, exemptions were granted to members of other denominations.
Although closely associated with Congregationalism, Presbyterianism was never officially established in any colonies.

Church of England (Anglican Church)

The Church of England, commonly known as the Anglican Church, was the official faith in several colonies, including Georgia, North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and part of New York.
It served as a significant support for kingly authority, both in America and in England.
British officials attempted to impose the Anglican Church on additional colonies but faced strong opposition.
The Anglican Church failed to live up to its promise in America, resembling its parent church in England with a secure and self-satisfied demeanor.
It maintained a less fierce and more worldly faith compared to the religion of Puritanical New England.
Sermons were shorter, views on hell were less severe, and activities like Virginia fox hunting were more accepted.
The reputation of Anglican clergy in 17th Century Virginia was so dismal that the College of William and Mary was established in 1693 to train better clergy.

Appendix

Ministers

John Cotton (1584–1652) — Cotton was a prominent early clergyman. He was educated at England’s Cambridge University, a Puritan stronghold. He emigrated to Massachusetts to avoid persecution for criticizing the Church of England. In Massachusetts, he defended the government’s duty to enforce religious rules. Cotton was known for his commitment, often preaching and praying for up to 6 hours daily.

Cotton Mather (1663–1728) — Mather was a leading Puritan minister, writer, and intellectual in colonial New England. Despite his vast knowledge and influence, his rigid beliefs and arrogance limited his effectiveness as a religious and civic leader. He played a role in the Salem Witch Trials, promoted Puritan ideals, and authored significant works on theology, history, and science. He was the son of Increase Mather.

Increase Mather (1639–1723) — Mather was a key religious and political leader in colonial New England. As a Congregational minister, author, and Harvard College president, he defended Puritan orthodoxy while adapting to changing times. He played a role in the Salem Witch Trials, negotiated Massachusetts’ new charter, and helped found Yale College in 1701. His son was Cotton Mather.

John Winthrop (1588–1649) — A Puritan religious and political leader who played an important role in the establishment, growth, and governance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was born into a wealthy English family, became a Puritan, and worked as a lawyer in the English Courts. In April 1630, he led the first ships of the “Winthrop Fleet” to Massachusetts. For the next 20 years, Winthrop played a significant role in the growth and development of the colony, as he shaped its course based on principles he outlined in his speech “A Model of Christian Charity.” Winthrop died in 1649, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most important political and religious figures in the history of New England and the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) — A preacher whose ideology was influenced by John Locke and Isaac Newton. Edwards was inspired to hold revivals and deliver powerful sermons by Gilbert Tennant and George Whitefield. His famous sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was known to cause strong emotional reactions in his audience.

George Whitefield (1715–1770) — An English preacher who held revivals throughout the American Colonies during the Great Awakening. Whitefield was influenced by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, and his brother, Charles Wesley.

Sermons

Errand in the Wilderness (1670) — Delivered by Puritan minister Samuel Danforth during elections for the Massachusetts General Assembly, it reiterated the Puritans’ belief that they had a divine mission, or “errand.” However, he warned they were failing in this mission due to moral and spiritual decline. Massachusetts was 40 years old by this time, and British oversight was limited. Danforth challenged the people to take control of their destiny.

An Oration Upon the Beauties of Liberty (1772) — Following the Gaspee Affair, Reverend John Allen delivered the sermon An Oration Upon the Beauties of Liberty. Allen criticized the British government’s decision to send people accused of burning the ship Gaspee to England for trial. He also challenged William Legge, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, asking him if he would like “…to have his Birthright, Liberty and freedom as an Englishman taken away by his King, or by the Ministry, or both? Would not your Lordship immediately say it was Tyranny, Oppression and Destruction by a despotic power?”

Opening of the War of the Revolution (1776) — One year after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Reverend Jonas Clarke of Lexington, Massachusetts, delivered a sermon that included Opening of the War of the Revolution, 19th of April 1775: A Brief Narrative of the Principal Transactions of the Day. In his message, Clarke accuses the British of firing first at Lexington.

AP US History Alignment

Sermons in Early America is part of the following units, topics, and chapters in the AP US History curriculum: