The Westminster Confession of Faith had a tremendous influence in America. Richard
Gardiner writes:
The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) In addition to being the decree of
Parliament as the standard for Christian doctrine in the British Kingdom, it was adopted
as the official statement of belief for the colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Although slighlty altered and called by different names, it was the creed of
Congregationalist, Baptist, and Presbyterian Churches throughout the English speaking
world. Assent to the Westminster Confession was officially required at Harvard, Yale, and
Princeton.Princeton scholar, Benjamin Warfield wrote: "It was impossible for any body
of Christians in the [English] Kingdoms to avoid attending to it."
The Westminster Catechism (1646) Second only to the Bible, the "Shorter
Catechism" of the Westminster Confession was the most widely published piece of
literature in the pre-revolutionary era in America. It is estimated that some five million
copies were available in the colonies. With a total population of only four million people
in America at the time of the Revolution, the number is staggering. The Westminster
Catechism was not only a central part of the colonial educational curriculum, learning it
was required by law. Each town employed an officer whose duty was to visit homes to hear
the children recite the Catechism. The primary schoolbook for children, the New England
Primer, included the Catechism. Daily recitations of it were required at these schools.
Their curriculum included memorization of the Westminster Confession and the Westminster
Larger Catechism. There was not a person at Independence Hall in 1776 who had not been
exposed to it, and most of them had it spoon fed to them before they could walk.