No body of ideas had a greater influence on American colonials
than did Protestant theology. Some Catholics and Jews lived in
early America, but most colonials identified with one or another
Protestant sect. While religious practices and the degree of
religious intensity varied from region to region, it is safe to
say that religious beliefs were a mainstay of most colonials'
lives. The most numerous denominations in colonial America were
the Congregationalists in New England; the Baptists in Rhode
Island and elsewhere; the Anglicans in the South, who were
replaced by Methodists after 1760; and the Quakers in
Pennsylvania. Most of the Protestant groups in the colonies,
except the Quakers, were strongly influenced by Calvinist
thought and held many beliefs in common. Most of them emphasized
original sin and preached the salvation of the few. They
believed the majority of mankind to be damned. The devil was
portrayed as constantly seeking to undermine the faith of a God-
fearing person. All believed that the Old