Module+2.9

Module 2-9: Religious and Political Awakenings

Learning Targets

  • By the end of this module, you should be able to:
    • Explain how economic ties between the colonies affected the development of British North American colonial society.
    • Explain the impact of transatlantic print culture on the development of British North American colonial society.
    • Explain the impact of Protestant evangelicalism on the development of British North American colonial society.
    • Explain how the Great Awakening and the spread of Enlightenment ideals enhanced the religious and ideological diversity of British North America.
    • Explain how traditions of self-government, Enlightenment ideas, religious diversity, and colonial conceptions of British imperial corruption fueled resistance to British imperial power.

Thematic Focus

  • American and Regional Culture
    • British North Americans developed a sense of distinctness from England influenced by religious movements and new political ideologies while experiencing fragmentation within the colonies themselves.

Historical Reasoning Focus

  • Causation
    • Pay careful attention to historical developments and events that help explain the era, along with how context shapes these events. Consider the overarching question: What aspects of the Enlightenment and Great Awakening led to fragmentation in colonial society, and why?

Contextual and Social Changes in Early Eighteenth Century

  • In the early eighteenth century:
    • Challenges to traditional patriarchy and religion sparked a response in the colonies.
    • Young people gained increased independence from parents.
    • Increased mobility in a dynamic economy led to the development of clearer hierarchies within towns and cities based on class and status.
    • Traditional religious practices faced challenges due to a decrease in religious enthusiasm in the late seventeenth century:
    • The need for new approaches to address societal ills was recognized.
  • These factors combined spurred the Great Awakening, a powerful religious revival of the early eighteenth century throughout the colonies.

Colonial Family Life and Patriarchal Order

  • Marriage as Partnership

    • By the early eighteenth century, marriage was often seen as a partnership, with wives typically being the junior partner.
    • The roles within households and communities included:
    • Artisan Families: Wives often learned aspects of their husband's craft, managing homes and workplaces, taking care of apprentices, journeymen, and children.
    • Farm Families: Men handled outdoor work (fields, livestock) while women managed household chores and child-rearing.
    • Families relied on servants, enslaved individuals, and field hands to assist with labor and production.

  • Childbearing and Mortality

    • Women often faced high risks during childbirth, with a significant mortality rate (e.g., 1 out of 30 births resulted in the mother’s death around 1700).
    • Childcare was primarily women's work, though fathers held legal guardianship.

  • Changing Dynamics

    • Despite an acceptance of female subordination, signs of changing attitudes appeared:
    • Runaway spouse ads, reports of domestic violence, petitions for divorce, and legal suits highlighted tensions around control in marriages.
    • Divorce was uncommon, with limited legal avenues for women.

The Great Awakening Takes Root

  • Enlightenment Influence

    • The Enlightenment, emphasizing rationality over traditional religious dogma, had taken hold among colonial elites by the eighteenth century.
    • This period featured influential Enlightenment thinkers:
    • John Locke: Argued that government was formed for the people's benefit, introducing ideas about natural rights and governance.
    • Baron de Montesquieu: Advocated dividing government into branches to prevent excessive power concentration.
    • Voltaire: Championed free speech and rational discourse over monarchical and clerical authority.

  • The New Light vs. Old Light Clergy

    • Two factions within colonial religious communities:
    • New Light Clergy: Advocated for emotional revivalism and spiritual commitment, pushing back against Old Light traditions.
    • Old Light Clergy: Supported established church practices, fearing a decline in traditional values.

  • Notable Figures

    • Jonathan Edwards: Congregational minister who combined Enlightenment thought with religious fervor.
    • Advocated for a personal connection with God, emphasizing the concept of election and need for repentance.
    • George Whitefield: An enthusiastic itinerant preacher whose massive sermons drew immense attention and drew people across class divides.
    • He used dramatic delivery styles and focused on personal connections to faith rather than traditional church authority, reaching large crowds across the colonies.

Impact of the Great Awakening

  • Social and Political Effects
    • The Great Awakening challenged established religious authority and inspired movements advocating for personal spiritual experiences.
    • Increased religious diversity by 1750:
    • New sects such as Baptists and Methodists emerged, diluting the Congregationalist dominance.
    • Non-evangelical groups like Quakers and Jews also began to gain recognition.
    • The revivalist movement emphasized collective participation and individual relationships with God.

Dissent and Resistance

  • Growing Dissent Against Authority
    • As religious fervor grew, so too did societal dissent, including:
    • Protests against rising food prices and demanding access to basic necessities, often led by women.
    • Rebellion fueled by impressment, labor shortages, and issues of colonial authority.
    • The Great Awakening’s radical, populist messages contributed to resistance to traditional authority structures, setting precedents for further political dissent.