By the late 1920s, the growing popularity of motion...
pictures eclipsed the vaudeville acts and circus spectacles presented at the Hippodrome. In 1928, the RKO motion picture company purchased the theater. Ten years later, the Hippodrome was demolished. In 1654, the first group of Jews to arrive in the future U.S. settled in what is now New York. And as early as 1658, Jewish immigrants arrived in Newport seeking religious liberty. Throughout the colonial period, Jews continued to come to North America, settling mainly in seaport towns. By the time of the Declaration of Independence, these immigrants had established several thriving synagogues.
In the seventeenth century, many British North American colonies were settled by European men and women who left their homes rather than compromise their religious convictions. To learn more about the difficulties these individuals faced and their influence on the founding of the United States, see the Library of Congress online exhibition Religion and the Founding of the American Republic. One section of the exhibition, America as a Religious Refuge: the Seventeenth Century, gives insight into the lives of Jews and others of diverse faiths who prompted the Founding Fathers to reflect on the overarching need for religious freedom and tolerance.
Freedom of religion is upheld by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Passed in 1791, with nine other amendments collectively known as the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment asserts, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." However, the Continental Congress formally endorsed the principle even earlier. In 1776, it resolved to honor the
wise policy of these states to extend the protection of their laws to all those who should settle among them of whatever nation or religion they might be, and to admit them to a participation of the benefits of civil and religious freedom.
Journals of the Constitutional Congress,
August 14, 1776.
Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789 Although the First Amendment established religious toleration in the United States, vestiges of the colonial relationship between church and state lingered. Many states maintained state-sponsored churches into the nineteenth century. Thomas Jefferson's hotly debated Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, approved by the Virginia legislature in 1786, set a precedent for separation of church and state, replicated later on in other states.Learn more about the development of religious freedom and tolerance in the United States:
- The online exhibition Religion and the Founding of the American Republic, demonstrates that many of the colonies were settled by men and women who crossed the Atlantic Ocean to practice their faith freely. Part Two of the section America as a Religious Refuge: The Seventeenth Century contains information on the founding of the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island.
- Explore the collection Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789 to access documents highlighting the early relationship between church and state. On May 9, 1778, for example, the United States Congress urged ministers of all denominations to read a morale boosting congressional address. Choosing the Full Text option, search the collection on religion to locate similar documents.
- THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet offers a searchable text of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights and later amendments. The special feature About the Constitution includes background information on the Bill of Rights.
- Read Today in History features on religious figures William Penn, Roger Williams, and Anne Hutchinson. Also, learn about the Diaspora of 1654 during which Jewish families fleeing persecution arrived to settle in the future New York.
