Unitarianism emerged as a liberal reaction to Calvinism, differing principally from the established churches in its belief in the perfectibility of the human character and the salvation of all souls. From the outset, Unitarians insisted on reason as the only criteria for the measure of faith and anything that could not be proven by logic was unacceptable. As Unitarianism spread to the Midwest, the rationalist biblical tradition was supplanted by an institutional religion that emphasized scientific truth, social idealism, and the fulfillment of human aspirations. The first Unitarian bodies came together in Milwaukee, Racine, and Fond du Lac before statehood and counted 1,900 members by the 1860s.

Jenkin Lloyd Jones became the most distinguished Unitarian leader in the state, crusading for a "social gospel" that won a national audience.  Settling at Janesville in 1873, Jones revitalized the church in that city, created a Sunday School program for Western Unitarians, invented the United Club, and helped start the Western Unitarian newspaper, Unity.  Membership began to wane in the early 20th century. In 1961, the Unitarians entered into union with the Universalist Church and is now known as the Unitarian Universalist Association.

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