Please include source materials from any of the following…

• Your textbooks
• Your threaded discussions
• The student resource video
• Outside sources (if applicable)

In this personal reflection, respond to the prompts given below. Each paragraph below does not have to be extensive; it just needs to show that you have given some thought and effort in your responses and that you have done the required reading and viewing for this session.

Paragraphs 1 and 2: Identify the various religious movements in the exploration and creation of the United States.

• Make sure to include at least five (5) specific groups in your response.
• Locate their geographical operations and expansions (if any).
• What does this tracking of Christian colonization in the United States reveal to you? Why do you come to those conclusions?

Paragraphs 3 and 4: Evaluate the effect of Puritanism upon the nature and culture of the early colonies of the United States.

• Be sure to explain what Puritanism was, as it was practiced in the early American Colonies.
• What were the motives of Puritanism in shaping and molding the culture and nature of America in the first centuries of its existence there?
• Do you think these motives and means were (1) effective and (2) Biblically based? Why do you think this?

Paragraphs 5 and 6: Appraise the importance of following the key individuals involved in the Christian Colonization of the United States.

• We continue to stress that “history” is “His Story” played out through the lives of people in relationship to God and one another. So, as you have read about these historical figures, appraise how their faith and conviction motivated them to act as they did.
• How does knowing the individuals behind the facts, events, and movements of the historical record help you to defend the influence of Christianity in shaping the