When the Europeans began their colonization of the North American continent after 1500, one of their goals was to convert the native peoples to Christianity. The Spanish in the Southwest and the French in the North brought Catholic priests and friars with them, for Catholicism was their state religion. The English on the East Coast practiced several varieties of Protestantism and relied more on the settlers themselves to bring their interpretation of Christianity to the Native Americans. Although there was a wide variety of religious beliefs among the native peoples, all believed in a supreme creator who continued to maintain a presence in their world. The Europeans did not recognize the basic similarity of these religious beliefs to their own, and each nation attempted to convince the natives that its interpretation of God was correct and its religious practices were the most valid. The Spanish created missions in.....
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