Revised History Essay

Politics and Religion Throughout History

History is made up of a series of recorded events by humans, and some of the most influential pieces of history are based on political or religious affairs. In most cases both at the same time.
Politics and Religion are as familiar to another as peanut butter and jelly. It can be seen as far back as the times of the Great Roman Empire, when the Caesar ruled over the people, and had religious officials by his side, or even to the Egyptians, who had a pharaoh who was guided by their high priests. Even the early kings of England were chosen to have their title by “Divine Right.”
More times than not, these religious political mixes led to more negative outcomes in history. Before the rule of King Henry VIII, the Catholic Church was mainly in control of Great Briton. They could tax the people, convict the people, and even force the people to believe in the Catholic Faith. Though, after the Catholic Church denied the king a divorce, Henry VIII took it upon himself to create a new church. This was one of the large events that sparked a religious reform throughout Europe. Another well-known act against the Catholic church was performed by Martin Luther, where he held a strong belief that the Catholic church could not get away with selling Indulgences, which were a way of buying your way out of sin and into Heaven.
As decades went on, protestant churches became more prevalent throughout Europe and the New World. Especially in the case of the pilgrims who left Europe in search of Religious freedom. As more and more branches of the Christian faith grew, there was more and more disagreement, and tension between the colonists.
Unfortunately, just because these faiths broke away from the strict, iron rule of the Catholics, it doesn’t mean they were any less strict. To them, forcing their beliefs, and culture on the natives of the New World, was the right thing to do. They were very aggressive when it came to these matters, and they were quite harsh on those who didn’t believe the way they did. Many examples of this can be seen in the countless (pointless) wars between the natives and the settlers. It is also seen in the brutal accusations of witch craft in Salem Massachusetts (among other places.) During these times, sickness, natural disaster, or any negative event could be solely blamed on a “witch,” and they would proceed to hold a trial to a crime that could not be proven… in most cases the so called witch would be burned at the stake.
Soon, the colonies were a mix of many different Christian beliefs, and were far from united. The wise men, who founded the United States, were the ones who eventually had enough. They had enough of the British government controlling and taxing the colonies, and they had enough of the colonies being so separate and uncooperative. They decided to form a brand new government, free from the constraints of any set religious affiliation. Free from any oppressive ruler. And free to any and all who wanted it.
Through trial and error, the United States government slowly grew, and became more and more powerful. There were many speed bumps, and obstacles to face, but most were faced head on by great leadership, and open minds.
During the Slave days, there were large groups of people who held opposite beliefs about civil rights and personal freedoms due to race. This is one of the times in which religious beliefs proved to be the best way to go about the situation… the belief that every man had a natural born right to be free. This caused a conflict though, and would prove to be one of the greatest tests that the United States had to face. Civil War. Though with the aforementioned great leadership, The USA was able to mend it’s broken self, and go on to grow to be an even more powerful country.
Through the mistakes seen throughout history, people today can learn how to avoid them. Unfortunately more times than not, history tends to repeat itself. Whether it is in the same country, or some far off land, human beings will more than likely find a way to mix their spiritual belief system into their government. Even today in the United States, religious undertones can be seen in the money, their Pledge of Allegiance, and even some court houses. Whether these be good or bad things is completely up to you, but it is quite evident that Religion has played a role in American Politics.