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?

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.