Introduction
Religion has played a great role in the life of American society since the first colonists settled in the region. During the antebellum period, it regulated many parts of human private and public conduct and, thus, the Bible and other religious scriptures were used and studied for moral guidance. Yet, due to relative openness to various ways of interpretation, the religious texts and religion as a whole served both as uniting and dividing forces.
Religion as a Unifying Force
On the one hand, different religious groups used fundamental Christian scriptures to promote stronger communal relations and equality of all before God. For instance, during the Second Great Awakening, religious meetings that would last for several days became notably popular in the South (Regan, 2016). People gathered together to sing songs, pray to God, and share thoughts and emotions (Shi, 2016). Moreover, some churches – especially Baptist and Methodist – were open to anyone, be it rich, poor, or slave. In this regard, it can be mentioned that religion in the antebellum period could greatly address people’s emotional demands as opposed to the Enlightenment’s search for rationality in all aspects of life.
Religion as a Dividing Force
On the other hand, religion also served as a force that divided the Americans. Probably, the Bible’s view on slavery was one of the major issues that led to the appearance of harsh disagreements between people. While one group found evidence that proves God’s disapproval of this institution, others used the same scriptures to argue the opposite idea. As such, Finkelman (2016) states that the latter party supported slavery because many Old Testament religious leaders, such as Abraham, had slaves themselves. Additionally, the existence of numerous religious groups that each had a differing interpretation of the holy texts led to many disputes and mutual hatred among people.
Consider the Nativists movement, for example, when the general Protestant population argued against the arrival of Catholic Irish immigrants, which resulted in numerous conflicts. Therefore, it is seen that religion in antebellum America served as both uniting and dividing force.
References
Finkelman, P. (2016). Religion and slavery in antebellum America. In Barbara A. McGraw (Ed.), The Wiley Blackwell companion to religion and politics in the US (pp. 187-199). John Wiley & Sons.
Regan, J. (2016). Irish frontier Catholicism in the antebellum US South. Irish Studies South, 1(2), 24-44.
Shi, D. E. (2016). America: A narrative history (11th ed.). WW Norton & Company.