Colonial Society and Structure (1607-1754)

Colonial Society and Structure (1607-1754)

How and why did the movement of ideas and people across the Atlantic contribute to the development of an American culture?

The Enlightenment

• A European movement emphasizing rational thinking over tradition and religious revelation.
• Took root in the colonies due to a robust Transatlantic print culture.
• Key Enlightenment thinkers:
  • John Locke:
    • Advocated for natural rights: life, liberty, and property.
    • These rights are inherent and not granted by a monarch but by a creator.
  • Rousseau, Voltaire, Immanuel Kant:
    • Inspired colonists to desire a government with three branches that could check and balance each other.
  • Social Contract:
    • The power to govern resides in the people.
    • People willingly give some power to the government to protect their natural rights.
    • If the government becomes tyrannical, the people have the right to overthrow it.
• Enlightenment teachings undermined the authority of the Bible.
• Emphasized scientific inquiry and sensory experience as sources of authority.

The Great Awakening

• A massive religious revival that swept through the colonies, generating intense Christian devotion and enthusiasm.
• Inspired by German Pietism, which emphasized the heart over the head in spiritual matters.
• Key figures:
  • Jonathan Edwards:
    • A New England minister and scholar.
    • Combined enlightenment ideas with intense religious fervor in his sermons.
    • Famous sermon: "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."
    • Focused on the joy of God and its derivative joy in human beings.
  • George Whitfield:
    • An Anglican minister known for his powerful preaching.
    • His preaching was so moving that it could evoke tears simply by pronouncing "Mesopotamia."

Social Consequences of the Great Awakening

• New Light preachers:
  • Emphasized the democratic tendencies in the Bible (especially the New Testament).
  • Affirmed that wealth did not determine God's favor.
  • Offered biblical justifications for resisting wealthy colonial officials ('biblical ballots').
• Led to lasting changes in the colonist attitude towards colonial authority.
• Colonies formed self-governing structures (e.g., participatory town meetings) to elect members to their colonial legislatures.

Growing Frustration with British rule

• Colonists were experiencing a gradual Anglicanization.
• King George's War led to impressment of men from America, triggering riots.
  • Demonstrated increasing awareness of violations to their natural rights.
  • Growing instances of rebellion against such violations.
• These factors anticipated significant consequences in the coming period.

Summary

• The Enlightenment awakened American colonists to ideas about liberty, rights, and democratic government.
• The Great Awakening created a nationwide movement that bound American society together and taught them to resist threats to democracy.