History of UU
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a religious organization that combines two traditions: the Unitarians, who organized in 1793, and the Universalists, who organized in 1825.
Although characterized as anti-trinitarian by its earliest opponents (hence the title Unitarian), Unitarianism's major contribution to religious thought has been the conviction that religious beliefs should develop from each person's individual experience and thought.
Universalism began as a reaction to Clavinist doctrines of predestination and salvation for a select few. It espoused universal salvation (hence the name) and taught of a loving God (or universe) from which none can be eternally estranged.
Both groups trace their roots in North America to the early Massachusetts settlers and to the founders of the Republic. Overseas, their heritages reach back centuries to pioneers in England, Poland, and Transylvania.
The two denominations consolidated into the Unitarian Universalists in 1961. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is an organization of member societies in the United States and Canada.
(Adapted from the UUA website and from a UUCCH visitors' pamphlet.)