Religion in Colonial America, by Professor Jeffry Morrison. This short video examines the impact of Reformed Christianity on the minds and hearts of the Framers of the Constitution. Influenced by the writings of John Locke, Algernon Sydney, and John Calvin, Founders such as George Washington and John Adams believed that religion should play an informal, though important, role in American Society. Professor Jeffry Morrison examines Adams’s contention that colonial fears of British bishops helped to inflame revolutionary sentiments. Jeffry Morrison, Ph.D., Academic Director of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation, Alexandria, Virginia. American History Videos are sponsored by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. These videos are offered to help teachers, students and the general public learn more about America's founding and the Constitution of the United States. www.jamesmadison.gov.