We grew from the rejects of England and Europe.
One man’s criminal is another man’s pioneer.
Georgia was the penal colony of the British. The remainder of the colonies were settled by those fleeing religious persecution, those seeking to establish a business or new life, and those who became indentured servants to pay their passage. Along with this came those who were sent here as slaves.
Once our revolution occurred, the prisoners were sent to Australia. Ever heard of Botany Bay, the first Australian penal colony establish in 1788?
How are they mutually exclusive?
The founders were well-educated members of the upper middle classes. I haven’t studied this in depth, but peasants did not read or write, let alone study philosophy.
Religion of the Pilgrims? Christian.
State religion of England? Christian
Christianity was the majority religion in Europe by the 13th century, maybe earlier. Others have this history better than I.
Yes, some were imprisoned unjustly. Poverty was rife and stealing anything, even food by the starving, was cause for prison. IIRC, there were strict blasphemy laws. People jailed for speaking against the monarchy or the church.
Some prisoners were actual criminals. There was a huge underclass and it had its own rules and there were gangs. Humans organize on all sides of the moral divide.
Some were pioneers. Some slid into the urban American cultures and remained con men or card sharps or thieves or pimps. Some deportees may even have been set up to cheat them out of inheritance. Some may have been sent to America because they were embarrassments to families of the lower nobility.
The American culture was one of entrepreneurship. By whatever means, it was possible to rise in America regardless of birth status. Limited central government, strong local government (election of sheriffs),expanded franchise (still only free male property owners, though), the concept of self-government, meaning not by the Crown, were the essence of American culture.
American history not a strong suit for me, but 100 years ago all my grandparents escaped poverty and prejudice to come here. Today, their descendants are all Americans by birth and culture.
But we had criminals. We had atheists. We had shady practices of all sorts. We do ourselves no favor by romanticizing history. The pioneers opened wildlands to commercial exploitation and they were *allowed* to do so. Many of the earliest benefited. Many failed. Many were closely followed by the robber barons of their day (see the building of the railroads).
Human nature doesn’t really change.