"And America is, of course, an intensely religious place - something that is not difficult to trace to its foundation by a band of hardy religious zealots." Th

"And America is, of course, an intensely religious place - something that is not difficult to trace to its foundation by a band of hardy religious zealots." This is such a wildly common bit of historical illiteracy, often reduced to "a nation founded by Puritans". The Puritans founded settlements in one region. Many other groups, often not religious in structure at all, started all the other settlements that together grew into the 13 original colonies. And whatever happened to the Puritans? Well, their descendants for the most part are the residents of Massachusetts, not exactly the most right-wing or "intensely-religious" bunch.