ABSTRACT
Most European immigrants to America came from regions that were officially Roman Catholic or Protestant, and some came from areas that were in dispute. Even nonbelievers in Europe could not avoid religious taxation and citizenship rights and responsibilities anchored in sectarianism. As members of different sects emigrated, and as previous immigrants disagreed over doctrinal matters, they realized that in America people could not be forced to acquiesce in beliefs with which they disagreed or stay in a community where they felt oppressed. Revivals came to be frequent activities in many parts of the country, especially in summer. In remote areas, they furnished an important social outlet. People came from miles around, camped out, heard sermons every day, met new people, and argued about theological, political, philosophical, and economic ideas.
