Final answer:
The excerpt evidences 'd. the religious devotion of the colonists' as a trait of Colonial and Early Nationalist writing, highlighting the primary motivation for religious freedom that led to the diverse religious practices in the American colonies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The trait of Colonial and Early Nationalist writing evident in the provided excerpt is d. the religious devotion of the colonists. The excerpt highlights the importance of religious freedom as a primary motivation for Europeans traveling to the American colonies.
It describes how religious groups such as Puritans, Quakers, and Catholics established colonies where they could practice their faiths freely. The text outlines the diversity of beliefs in the colonies and the necessity for freedom of religion from the onset of British settlement in America.
This religious fervor and quest for liberty are thematic in much of the writing of the period, reflecting the colonists' profound commitment to religious values and their influence on every aspect of life, including the impetus for colonization.
As mentioned in the excerpt, regions like Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Rhode Island became homes to these various religious groups pursuing the ability to worship without interference—a focal point of American colonial identity that made its way into both the government structure and literature of the time.