- 8.3 C - describe how religion and virtue contributed to the growth of representative government in the American colonies
- 8.25(B) describe religious motivation for immigration and influence on social movements, including the impact of the first and second Great Awakenings
- 8.25(A) trace the development of religious freedom in the United States
The Great Awakening
Religion had a strong influence in colonial life. In the 1730s and 1740s, a religious revival called the First Great Awakening swept through the colonies. In New England and the Middle Colonies, ministers called for "a new birth," a return to the strong faith of earlier days. One such minister was Jonathan Edwards of Massachusetts, who gave powerful sermons. George Whitefield, an English preacher who arrived in the colonies in 1738, inspired worshipers in churches and open fields from Georgia to New England.
The Great Awakening inspired greater religious freedom. It led to the formation of many new types of churches. The new churches placed an emphasis on having personal faith rather than on church rituals. More colonists began choosing their own faiths, and the strength of established official churches declined. As a Baptist preacher noted, "The common people now claim as good a right to judge and act in matters of religion as civil rulers or the learned clergy." This independence of thought encouraged the belief that colonists had the ability and the right to make their own decisions in government matters as well. The Great Awakening also united colonists from north to south in a common experience. The colonists overcame regional barriers, which helped pavethe way for the rapid spread of revolutionary ideas and excitement during the struggle for independence. |
- 8.20(A) explain the role of significant individuals such as Thomas Hooker, Charles de Montesquieu, John Locke, William Blackstone, and William Penn in the development of self-government in colonial America
The Enlightenment
By the middle of the 1700s, many educated colonists were also influenced by the Enlightenment. This movement, which began in Europe, spread the idea that knowledge, reason, and science could improve society. In the colonies, the Enlightenment increased interest in science. People observed nature, staged experiments, and published their findings, much as Benjamin Franklin did. The Enlightenment also promoted freedom of thought and expression, a belief in equality, and the idea of popular government.
|
Page Credits to :