American Colonial History: The Great Awakening and French and Indian War

Puritan Society and The Great Awakening

Puritan Society

  • Education: A highly educated society; women were able to read and write.

  • Government: Practiced a direct democracy, primarily for members of the church. This was considered one of the purest forms of democracy at the time.

The Great Awakening

  • Purpose and Impact:

    • It was not initially started to reform the church, but church reformation became a significant result.

    • While closely tied, its initial aim was not to dismantle the Puritan church, but rather to effect a spiritual revival.

  • Impact on Anglican Church:

    • Virginia: The Anglican Church's hold was significantly loosened. It lost its status as the official church of the college and the colony due to public pressure.

    • Post-Independence: After American independence, the Anglican Church in the colonies transformed into the Episcopal Church (or Episcopalian).

      • The reason for this change was that the head of the Anglican Church was the British King or Queen, which was no longer acceptable in an independent America. Officially affiliated Anglican churches tied to the Church of England are rare in the US today.

  • Impact on Puritan Church:

    • Halfway Covenant: Reformed their approach to membership to continue attracting new members. This allowed for a partial membership to the church, granting children of members the right to be baptized, even if the parents were not full members or their salvation was uncertain. This was a move to preemptively include people.

    • Predestination: By approximately 16801680 and definitely by 17001700, the Puritan church had largely abandoned its core belief in predestination.

    • Evolution: The Puritan church later evolved into the Congregational Church, which is still found frequently in New England today, having shed beliefs like predestination and being somewhat similar to Presbyterians.

  • Emerging Denominations:

    • Baptists and Methodists: These denominations grew significantly out of the Great Awakening, especially in the South. They represented a move away from the organized, hierarchical structures of the Anglican and Puritan churches, favoring a more locally driven approach.

  • Other Religious Presences:

    • Catholics: Prominent in Maryland. Their institutions were longer established, and they experienced less significant shifts in membership comparable to the Protestant denominations during this period.

    • Lutherans: Very numerous, particularly in Pennsylvania and the Shenandoah Valley, due to significant German immigration. The oldest continuously operating Lutheran church in service is located in Madison, Virginia, dating back to before 17001700. German immigrants moved up the Shenandoah Valley, establishing churches along their route.

The French and Indian War (Seven Years' War)

Overview

  • Global Conflict: Known as the Seven Years' War in Europe, this conflict is considered by many historians to be the first truly global war, fought across multiple continents and seas: North America, Europe, India, Africa, the Pacific, Atlantic, and Caribbean.

  • Impact on Empires: It left both Great Britain and France financially depleted, a factor that would later contribute to British taxation of her colonies and France's own revolution.

  • Historical Significance: It was the fourth of four colonial wars fought in North America. It profoundly shaped the subsequent 50−6550-65 years of North American development and policy, much like World War I set the stage for the 20th20^{th} century.

  • American Casualties: It ranks as one of the bloodiest wars in American history concerning American colonial casualties, surpassing the American Revolution. In terms of American casualties overall, it's roughly the fourth highest after the Civil War (Americans fighting Americans), World War II (approximately 250,000250,000), and World War I (over 100,000100,000).

Causes and Resources

  • Rivalry: A long-standing rivalry between French and British colonists, ongoing for over 100100 years, over colonial territories.

  • Valuable Resource: The primary contested resource in the Ohio country (Pennsylvania, New York) was beaver fur, a trade so intense that beavers were almost driven to extinction in North America.

Geographical and Demographical Context

  • French Territory: The French controlled a vast, contiguous landmass in North America, encompassing the interior of the continent, though lightly populated.

  • British Colonies: Concentrated along the Atlantic seaboard, offering numerous ports for entry and supply. The British colonies were more densely populated.

  • Population Disparity:

    • New France: Population ranged between 70,00070,000 and 90,00090,000 total during the French and Indian War, including trappers.

    • British Colonies: By the 17501750s - 17601760s, British colonies were receiving 50,00050,000 to 70,00070,000 immigrants per year, leading to a massive population surge and immense pressure for westward expansion.

  • Expansion Challenges:

    • Appalachian Mountains: The primary barrier to British westward expansion. Moving large numbers of people, families, equipment, and wagons over the mountains was logistically difficult and inefficient.

    • Rivers for Transport: Waterways were crucial for movement. The St. Lawrence River served as a vital French route, going through the mountains and connecting to the Great Lakes via Niagara Falls.

    • Ohio River's Strategic Importance: The British needed access to a river system for westward expansion. The Ohio River, formed by the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in modern-day Pittsburgh, offered a strategic gateway, extending roughly one-third of the way across the continent. Control of its headwaters became critical.

    • Pittsburgh: The convergence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers (known as the Forks of the Ohio) was deemed the most valuable piece of land in the world in the early 17501750s, sparking the global conflict.

Early Engagements (George Washington's Role)

  • Washington's First Mission (17531753): At age 2121, George Washington was sent by the Governor of Virginia to demand the French withdraw from the Ohio country (near modern-day Pittsburgh). He delivered the message, and the French politely refused.

  • French Response: Upon Washington's departure, the French immediately began building Fort Duquesne at the Forks of the Ohio, aware of British interest in the area.

  • Washington's Military Ambition: Washington, seeking a commission as an officer in the Virginia militia, was granted command of a force to construct a fort near the French position.

  • Fort Necessity and the Start of War (17541754):

    • Washington's forces learned the French had already built Fort Duquesne. He established a small stockade called Fort Necessity.

    • He ambushed a small French scouting party (an incident debated as to who fired first), leading to his admission of responsibility for the assassination of a French officer.

    • Aware of French retaliation, Washington retreated to Fort Necessity, where he and his approximately 100100 men were overwhelmed by a larger French force on July 33, 17541754. This is widely considered the start of the French and Indian War.

  • Washington's Reception: Despite the defeat, Washington was treated as a hero in Virginia for confronting the French, viewed as having struck the first blow.

Frontier Warfare and British Missteps

  • Native American Attacks: Following initial skirmishes, French Indian allies launched widespread attacks along the British frontier (e.g., within Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania), devastating colonial settlements and farms. This mirrored scenes depicted in