Religion and the Fight for American Freedom

This two-hour walking tour explores religious themes surrounding the fight for freedom in the American Revolution. It highlights how various religious groups responded to the Revolution. Anglicans were divided over their loyalty to King George III.

Some Quakers, like Samuel Nichols, rejected the pacifism of their faith to take up arms. Presbyterians enthusiastically volunteered themselves to the patriot cause, and minority groups such as Jews and Catholics also cast their future lot with the rebel movement. The tour will also discuss the growing consensus of the Founding Fathers around the disestablishment of religion, the origins of human rights, the role of virtue in civil society, and the ways many Americans viewed the Revolution as having a divine purpose.