American Religion Timelines
Religious Minorities (Non-Christians) - Events by Date
| Date (Year-Month-Day) | Event | Introduction | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1740-01-01 | Mikveh Israel | Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia began as a Jewish cemetery (1740) but later became a synagogue (1782), one of the earliest existing Jewish synagogues in America. | |
| 1763-01-01 | Touro Synagogue | Touro Synagogue was dedicated in 1763 in Newport, R.I. It is the oldest dedicated synagogue in America. | |
| 1790-08-18 | George Washington's Letter to Touro Synagogue | President George Washington's 1790 letter to Jews in Rhode Island is widely regarded as his most emphatic endorsement of religious liberty and acceptance. | |
| 1795-01-01 | Congregation Rodeph Shalom | The first Ashkenazic congregation in the Western Hemisphere, Rodeph Shalom, was founded in Philadelphia in 1795. | |
| 1809-01-01 | Ququnok Patke Prophesies | Ququnok Patke (c.1790s-1837) was a Kootenai Indian whose prophecies in the early 1800s made her legendary throughout the Pacific Northwest. | |
| 1838-01-01 | Rebecca Gratz Founds First Hebrew Sunday School | Under Rebecca Gratz's oversight, the first free Hebrew Sunday school opened in Philadelphia in 1838. | |
| 1849-01-01 | First Daoist/Traditional Chinese Temples in the U.S. | Daoism (i.e., Taoism), one of China’s recognized religions, arrived in San Francisco in the 19th century as Chinese immigrants sought work in California’s gold rush. | |
| 1853-01-01 | First Buddhist Temples Built | In the 1850s-1880s, Chinese and Japanese immigrants brought Buddhism to America as they searched for work in Hawaii's plantations and California's gold rush. | |
| 1854-01-01 | Chief Seattle's Speech | An 1854 speech by Native American Chief Seattle (1780-1866) inspired the 20th century environmental movement, despite being heavily rewritten. | |
| 1875-01-01 | Hebrew Union College | Hebrew Union College, the oldest center of Jewish higher education in America, was founded in 1875 with its first campus in Cincinnati. | |
| 1875-11-17 | Theosophical Society Founded | Founded in New York in 1875, the Theosophical Society popularized such Eastern tenets as karma and reincarnation in a new religious movement emphasizing spiritual evolution. | |
| 1885-01-01 | Peyote Religion and the Native American Church | Use of peyote, a psychedelic source for Native American spirit ceremonies, became widespread in the mid-1880s. In 1906, peyote groups formed the Native American Church. | |
| 1886-01-01 | Jewish Theological Seminary of America | The Jewish Theological Seminary, founded in New York in 1886, is the educational center of Conservative Judaism. | |
| 1893-08-01 | World Parliament of Religions | In 1893, the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago introduced many non-Christian faiths to America -- including Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Jainism, Shinto and Taoism. | |
| 1898-11-03 | First Shinto Shrine in the U.S. | On November 3, 1898, Japanese immigrants built the first Shinto shrine in the United States in Hilo, Hawaii. | |
| 1906-01-01 | Dzemijetul Hajrije | Dzemijetal Hajrije, America's oldest existing Muslim organization, was formed in 1906 by Bosnian immigrants who came to Chicago to help dig subway tunnels. | |
| 1906-01-07 | Hindu Temple Established in San Francisco | On Jan. 7, 1906, Indian-born Swami Trigunatita helped build one of the first Hindu temples of the western world in San Francisco. | |
| 1910-01-01 | Sufism Comes to United States | Fulfilling the wishes of his Sufi teacher, Hazrat Inayat Khan sailed to America in 1910 to spread the message of this mystical arm of Islam. | |
| 1912-01-01 | First Sikh Gurdwara | The first gurdwara, a Sikh gathering place, was built in 1912 in Stockton, C.A., by settlers attracted to the fertile farmland similar to their native Punjab. | |
| 1929-01-01 | First Purpose-Built Mosque | In 1929, Syrian-Lebanese immigrants constructed the first purpose-built mosque in America in Ross, N.D., to serve their small community of Muslims. | |
| 1930-07-04 | Nation of Islam Founded | On July 4, 1930, W.D. Fard founded the Nation of Islam, one of the most radical and militant religious movements of the 20th century. | |
| 1934-01-01 | Mother Mosque of America | The "Mother Mosque of America," established by immigrants in 1934 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is the oldest purpose-built mosque still in use. | |
| 1944-01-01 | Buddhist Churches of America | The Buddhist Churches of America, formed in 1944 and headquartered in San Francisco, represents mainstream Japanese American Buddhism. | |
| 1946-01-01 | Autobiography of a Yogi Published | Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi, published in 1946, continues to be used by followers of his Self-Realization Fellowship and as college textbooks. | |
| 1953-01-01 | Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois | The Baha'i House of Worship, located near Chicago in Wilmette, Ill., was opened in 1953 and is the only Baha'i temple in North America. | |
| 1954-01-01 | Church of Scientology | In 1954, L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986) began the Church of Scientology with teachings on how to reach a blissful "state of clear." | |
| 1958-01-01 | Huston Smith Publishes The Religions of Man | In 1958, Huston Smith published his landmark textbook on comparative religion, The Religions of Man in 1958, later renamed The World's Religions. | |
| 1960-01-01 | American Chapter of Soka Gakkai Formed | The Japanese-based Soka Gakkai Buddhist society commissioned its U.S. chapter in 1960. In 1991, the chapter reorganized as Soka Gakkai International-USA. | |
| 1963-09-20 | Islamic Center of America | In 1963, after years of fundraising, Lebanese Muslims in the Detroit area opened the Islamic Center of America, one of the oldest Shi'a mosques in America. | |
| 1964-01-01 | Muhammad Ali Converts to Islam | After winning his first heavyweight championship in 1964, boxer Cassius Clay (1942-2016) announced he had converted to Islam and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. | |
| 1965-01-01 | Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 | The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (i.e., Hart-Celler Act) permitted more Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu immigrants into the United States, changing the U.S. religious landscape. | |
| 1966-01-01 | Church of Satan | Anton Szandor LaVey (1930-97) started the Church of Satan in 1966, offering a new Golden Rule: "Do unto others as they do unto you." | |
| 1966-01-01 | International Society for Krishna Consciousness | A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Parbhupada (1896-1977) founded the International Society of Krishna Consciousness in 1966 in New York to bring Krishna worship to the West. | |
| 1972-06-03 | Sally Priesand Becomes First Female Rabbi | On June 3, 1972, Sally Priesand became the first female rabbi ordained in America -- and the first woman in Judaism to earn seminary ordination. | |
| 1973-01-01 | Founding of Heaven's Gate | Heaven's Gate was a new religious movement founded by Bonnie Lu Nettles and Marshall Applewhite. Its 39 members died in 1997 via mass ritual suicide. | |
| 1975-01-01 | Vietnamese Buddhists Come to United States | Vietnamese Buddhism spread across America as thousands of refugees arrived after the Vietnam War ended in 1975. | |
| 1977-06-08 | Major Upsurge in Hindu Temples | The 1970s, and early 1980s, saw an explosion of Hindu temples in America, courtesy of a new law allowing for more immigrants from India. | |
| 1978-01-01 | American Indian Religious Freedom Act | The American Indian Religious Freedom Act, passed in 1978, acknowledged the importance of Native American religious traditions and pledged to protect their rights. | |
| 1982-01-01 | Islamic Society of North America | The Islamic Society of North America was created in 1982 as an umbrella group to support and unite the burgeoning Muslim population in America. | |
| 1988-01-01 | Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple | Built in 1988, Hsi Lai Temple near Los Angeles is the largest Buddhist temple in the western hemisphere. | |
| 1993-02-28 | Siege of Branch Davidian Compound | Most remember the Branch Davidians, a sect of Seventh-day Adventism, the US Government laying siege to their compound outside of Waco, Texas in 1993. | |
| 1994-01-01 | Native American Peyote Controversy | Despite passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978, legal judgments continued to challenge the use of peyote in religious services until 1994. | |
| 2006-11-07 | First Buddhists Elected to U.S. Congress | In November 2006, voters in Georgia and Hawaii elected the first two Buddhists --Democrats Hank Johnson and Mazie Hirono -- to the U.S. Congress. | |
| 2006-11-07 | Keith Ellison Elected to U.S. Congress | On Nov. 7, 2006, Keith Ellison became the first Muslim elected to national office, joining the U.S. House of Representatives for Minnesota's fifth district. | |
| 2023-10-09 | Swaminarayan Akshardham | The world's largest Hindu temple, the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, opened in 2023 in Robbinsville, N.J. |
