Yes, they were made up of religiously diverse settlers. The settlers were mostly anglicans, Catholics, baptists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians.
The beginning of the Lutheran Church :)
I believe the answer is a strong support for public education. A supportive education can help the youth be self-reliant. The US focuses on giving the best education to the students. Free education during in basic, junior and senior high school would provide job security because they would be skilled enough. Having a college degree could be a challenge since they can work and study at the same time.
