Chapter Chronology

Quiz for Historical Question: “Was the New United States a Christian Country?”

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

Question

1. In which of the following ways did state constitutions in early America affirm the importance of Christianity?

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D.
Correct. The answer is d. This essay lists many different ways that Christianity and Christian values were deeply imbedded in early American state constitutions, in contrast to the national Constitution. For example, in some states, jurors and witnesses were required to swear Christian oaths, chaplains led prayers before legislative sessions, and all people were prohibited from working or traveling on Sundays—the Christian Sabbath day.
Incorrect. The answer is d. This essay lists many different ways that Christianity and Christian values were deeply imbedded in early American state constitutions, in contrast to the national Constitution. For example, in some states, jurors and witnesses were required to swear Christian oaths, chaplains led prayers before legislative sessions, and all people were prohibited from working or traveling on Sundays—the Christian Sabbath day.

Question

2. Why might early American Christians have felt angry or scared about the absence of Christianity in the United States Constitution?

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B.
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Correct. The answer is b. The reactions from religious Americans quoted in this essay suggest a fear that if Christianity were not made the foundation of the nation’s policies, the United States would suffer moral decay. For example, the New Yorker quoted in this essay said that “should the Citizens of America be as irreligious as her Constitution, we will have reason to tremble, lest the Governor of the universe…crush us to atoms.”
Incorrect. The answer is b. The reactions from religious Americans quoted in this essay suggest a fear that if Christianity were not made the foundation of the nation’s policies, the United States would suffer moral decay. For example, the New Yorker quoted in this essay said that “should the Citizens of America be as irreligious as her Constitution, we will have reason to tremble, lest the Governor of the universe…crush us to atoms.”

Question

3. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, passed in 1786, assured religious liberty for its citizens by proclaiming that religion could not be used as a basis for determining

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B.
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Correct. The answer is c. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom made Virginia different from most of the other states, which required everyone who held political office to swear a Christian oath. Unlike Virginia—and the Constitution of the United States—most state constitutions placed Protestant Christianity at the center of personal, political, and civic life in early America.
Incorrect. The answer is c. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom made Virginia different from most of the other states, which required everyone who held political office to swear a Christian oath. Unlike Virginia—and the Constitution of the United States—most state constitutions placed Protestant Christianity at the center of personal, political, and civic life in early America.

Question

4. How did the Constitution’s Bill of Rights secure religious liberty for American citizens?

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Correct. The answer is a. The Bill of Rights states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This statement means that Congress was forbidden from creating a state religion, although it said nothing about the ability of the individual states to do so.
Incorrect. The answer is a. The Bill of Rights states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This statement means that Congress was forbidden from creating a state religion, although it said nothing about the ability of the individual states to do so.

Question

5. This essay supports which of the following historical arguments?

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B.
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D.
Correct. The answer is c. This essay demonstrates how the federal Constitution protected freedom of religion through the Bill of Rights, which forbid Congress from establishing a state religion. However, it also argues how true religious liberty was nevertheless limited, due to the frequency of state laws that limited political, economic, and social rights to Christians.
Incorrect. The answer is c. This essay demonstrates how the federal Constitution protected freedom of religion through the Bill of Rights, which forbid Congress from establishing a state religion. However, it also argues how true religious liberty was nevertheless limited, due to the frequency of state laws that limited political, economic, and social rights to Christians.