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.