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After requiring literacy in Latin (in which language the Scripture were then mostly written), the second requirement in “Harvard Lawes” of 1642 was that "Every one shall consider the main end of his life and studies to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life. (Joh. 17:3) The overall religious nature of colleges and universities continued at least until the Civil War. Even State colleges had significant religious (most always Christian) components, such as mandatory religion courses and attendance at chapel services, while large numbers of their faculties had formal religious training. <ref>Ringenberg, 1984; Marsden and Longfield, 1962; Ronald W. Fagan and Raymond G. DeVries, ''The practice of sociology at Christian liberal arts colleges and universities''; The American Sociologist, June, 1994</ref>
After requiring literacy in Latin (in which language the Scripture were then mostly written), the second requirement in “Harvard Lawes” of 1642 was that "Every one shall consider the main end of his life and studies to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life. (Joh. 17:3) The overall religious nature of colleges and universities continued at least until the Civil War. Even State colleges had significant religious (most always Christian) components, such as mandatory religion courses and attendance at chapel services, while large numbers of their faculties had formal religious training. <ref>Ringenberg, 1984; Marsden and Longfield, 1962; Ronald W. Fagan and Raymond G. DeVries, ''The practice of sociology at Christian liberal arts colleges and universities''; The American Sociologist, June, 1994</ref>
The first elementary schools also taught Christian morality, and even the [[Unitarian]] (see note:<ref>Unitarianism at the time was a means of being called Christian and overall upholding a god degree of Bible morality, while denying the divinity of Christ and plenary Divine inspiration of Scripture, and thus it has become a strong hold of immoral liberals today.</ref>) ''Father of the Common School'', Horace Mann (May 4, 1796 — August 02, 1859), who became Massachusetts Secretary of Education in 1837, not only understood the impossibility of separating education from religious moral beliefs, but held that it was lawful to teach the truths of the general Christian faith, asserting that the “laws of Massachusetts required the teaching of the basic moral doctrines of Christianity.” Mann, who supported prohibition of alcohol and intemperance, slavery and lotteries, (http://www.famousamericans.net/horacemann) dreaded “intellectual eminence when separated from virtue”, that education, if taught without moral responsibilities, would produce more evil than it inherited. (William Jeynes, “American educational history: school, society, and the common good,” p. 149, 150)
The first elementary schools also taught Christian morality, and even the [[Unitarian]] (see note:<ref>Unitarianism at the time was a means of being called Christian and overall upholding a god degree of Bible morality, while denying the divinity of Christ and plenary Divine inspiration of Scripture, and thus it has become a strong hold of immoral liberals today.</ref>) ''Father of the Common School'', Horace Mann (May 4, 1796 — August 02, 1859), who became Massachusetts Secretary of Education in 1837, not only understood the impossibility of separating education from religious moral beliefs, but held that it was lawful to teach the truths of the general Christian faith, asserting that the “laws of Massachusetts required the teaching of the basic moral doctrines of Christianity.” Mann, who supported prohibition of alcohol and intemperance, slavery and lotteries, <ref>http://www.famousamericans.net/horacemann</ref> dreaded “intellectual eminence when separated from virtue”, that education, if taught without moral responsibilities, would produce more evil than it inherited. (William Jeynes, “American educational history: school, society, and the common good,” p. 149, 150)
While iniquity was always a significant part of America, it was generally held as shameful and overall resisted by Church and State. Early on, in a pamphlet for Europeans titled ''Information to Those Who Would Remove to America'' (1754), Benjamin Franklin wrote, in part:
While iniquity was always a significant part of America, it was generally held as shameful and overall resisted by Church and State. Early on, in a pamphlet for Europeans titled ''Information to Those Who Would Remove to America'' (1754), Benjamin Franklin wrote, in part:
Morally, much effort was expended in passing [[Prohibition in the United States]] (1920 to 1933), while the [[Roaring 20's]] manifested a marked degree of cultural rejection of traditional moral decency. The following [[Great Depression]] (1929-1940's) signaled an end to the economic boon, and post [[Word War Two]] saw the traditional family focused on, as many men and women [[married]] and raised children.
Morally, much effort was expended in passing [[Prohibition in the United States]] (1920 to 1933), while the [[Roaring 20's]] manifested a marked degree of cultural rejection of traditional moral decency. The following [[Great Depression]] (1929-1940's) signaled an end to the economic boon, and post [[Word War Two]] saw the traditional family focused on, as many men and women [[married]] and raised children.
The overcrowding of cities was seen as contributing to moral corruption, and in 1890 the [[New York]] Society for Parks and Playgrounds, described as a “moral movement not a charity”, was incorporated. Its purpose was to provide healthy recreation for the 500,000 boys and girls in [[New York city]], and so help to counteract "the physical and moral degeneration" which so often follows densely populated cities.<ref>Vrooman, Walter, ''Open Letters: Playgrounds and Parks for Children'', pp. 317-318: Journals: Century (1881 - 1899)</ref> In 1897, [[New York city]] Mayor William L. Strong appointed the Small Parks Advisory Committee, which advised playgrounds with equipment and trained recreation specialists, for "the physical energies of youth, which, if not directed to good ends, will surely manifest themselves in evil tendencies.” In addition to recreation, children took part in drills, singing, a salute to the flag, a talk by the school principal, and occupation work, etc. These early reformers saw recreation not as an end in itself, but as properly carried out, a program directly linked to “social morality.” “If our boys . . . are going to acquire the habit of subordinating selfish to group interests, they must learn these things through experience and not from books or the bleachers . . . ” –Luther Halsely Gulick, Popular Recreation and Public Morality, 1912<ref>http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_about/parks_history/playgrounds.html</ref>
In the 1950's, the danger of [[Communism]] worked a renewed affirmation of America being a basically Christian nation, though no significant religious revival was evident, and [[liberal ideology]] increased its influence through colleges and universities, as well as the film industry.
In the 1950's, the danger of [[Communism]] worked a renewed affirmation of America being a basically Christian nation, though no significant religious revival was evident, and [[liberal ideology]] increased its influence through colleges and universities, as well as the film industry.