Beginning of Essay
A case for the connection of America's colonial and revolutionary religious and political experiences to the basic principles of can be readily made. One point in favor of this conclusion is the fact that most Americans at that time had little beside their experi ....

Middle of Essay
.... The First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedom could have been influenced by the colonial tradition of relative religious freedom. This tradition was clear even in the early colonies, like Plymouth, which was formed by Puritan dissenters from England seeking religious freedom. Roger Williams, the proprietor of Rhode Island, probably made an even larger contribution to this tradition by advocating and allowing complete religious freedom. William Penn also contributed to this idea in Pennsylvania, where the Quakers were tolerant of other denominations. In addition to the tradition of religious tolerance in the colonies, there was a tradit ....