Religious beliefs and the zeal of Missionaries and Preachers had an undeniable influence on America's history since the first explorers set foot on this continents shores. Religious was used as a tool to justify individual goals and to provide society with the justification for slavery. Slavery provided great economic gain to the south and religion was manipulated to allow southerners to ease their conscience. Literature of the time particularly the work of Uncle Tom's Cabin brought the distortion of Christian teachings to light; giving voice to the inconsistencies and inequities of the slave system compared Biblical teachings.
             Impact of Missionary Zeal on American History
             The North American continent was first occupied by missionaries from Spain, France and England; their quest for new lands and riches was the driving force behind the missionaries and the countries that sent them. Religious conversion of native peoples was a pretext used by the missionaries to justify their coming to the new land.
             The early colonization by the Spanish and the French had two goals. The first goal was riches and their second goal was actually a goal of the Catholic Church. This goal was to Christianize the natives. While few natives genuinely accept Christianity, missionaries set up numerous churches and missions. Through the church and the Christianization of the natives each country hoped to gain control over the labor of the natives and the resources of the area.
             Early Europeans had very similar motives, the desire for new lands, riches and control; although Europeans such as the British, Dutch and Germans had religious freedom to gain by the move to the new continent.
             The Puritans were a group of religious reformers who left England in the middle 1600's; they shared a common Calvinist theology and were highly critical of the Church of England and English society and government. In coming to America they ...