Didn't our forefathers come to America to escape socialism, and to have freedom of religion?

Answer 1

It was monarchy then, but the religion part is correct.

Answer 2

Most of them came for monetary reasons. If you weren't an eldest son back then, you pretty much had to fend for yourself. Land was plentiful, so an adventuresome person could come to the Colonies and make a home and living for him/herself. In England, and many other countries, the aristocracy and monarch owned most of the land. Many came for religious freedom, but that was not the predominant reason. Freedom of religion was put into the Constitution because the Catholic church and then the Church of England, controlled most of societal rules back then. Many people were martyred and persecuted because of their differing views on religion, and going to the Colonies was a way to escape that.
Socialism was not a political consideration then.

Answer 3

Many, at least the English, came to escape the English monarchy, no socialism there. As far as the religion you could call it freedom from religion since they left to avoid the state sponsored religion of England or you could call it freedom of religion since they wanted to practice their own religions.

Answer 4

Nope, nothing like that.

The Native Americans came here to settle, herd, plant and hunt.
The original Jamestown colonists came here to establish a colony for the fur and tobacco trade.
The Puritans came here to escape religious persecution and establish a religious community (quite the opposite of "freedom of religion" it was a very strict society).
The French and Dutch colonists came here to establish fur-trading colonies and routes.
The massive influx of Northern European colonists that came through the 18th and 19th centuries came for economic opportunity.
The Irish that came in the mid-19th century came to escape famine.
The Jews that came during the late 19th and early 20th century came to escape harsh pogroms and other repression.
The Chinese that came during the 19th and early 20th century came for jobs.

Socialism didn't even exist until the 19th century, and certainly wasn't practiced by any state until the 20th. Perhaps there were some cases of Soviet emigres diring the 1960s that came to "escape Socialism" but I would hardly consider these our "forefathers."

I think people cherished freedom of religion once they were here but very few, if any, came here strictly because of it. Freedom of religion was a concept laid down by Jefferson, Adams and Franklin to avoid the concept of a State Religion like they has in England at the time.

Answer 5

No. Socialism addresses a class antagonism that didn't exist when our ancestors came to America. The proletariat evolved out of advanced capitalism.

They were escaping the last stubborn vestiges of feudal patriarchy. The theories they used to guide the new social system they created was called "liberalism," the theoretical kernel and framework for modern capitalism. No one approaches his or her society in the same way as the framers of our constitution, except for certain Libertarian thinkers, because the mode of production and therefore our modes of managing property have evolved so much over the past two hundred years.

Answer 6

I don't know about the socialism bit, but they did want freedom of religion, which means they could be religious or not as they pleased.

But they came from capitalist areas--if there were socialists back then, I've never heard of them.

Maybe the ones in Utopia.

But then, that was just a book.

Answer 7

They came to escape tyranny and a corrupt, controlling monarchy...not socialism. Yea they came both for freedom of religion and freedom OF religion because a certain religion was being pressed upon them by the king.

Answer 8

No, there was no socialism in Europe at that time.Europe was made up of Monarchies.
Some also came to escape religious persecution, being told why, how, where and when to worship.
It was more freedom from religion.

Answer 9

Socialism?

No, you need to learn a little history.

freedom of religion? Some did; others wanted to practice their own oppressive religion, which isn't the same thing.

Others came for economic reasons.

Escape socialism? Sorry, that makes no sense; there was no such thing then.

Answer 10

The ideas of modern Socialism wasn't around during the time. Mr. Marx wasn't even born.

So no, but religious freedom did play a very important role.

Answer 11

No, they came to America for freedom of religion, but not to escape socialism. Europe was full of monarchies back then.