¶ … religion shaped development of colonial society in 1740s New England, Chesapeake, and the Mid-Atlantic. Religion shaped development in these areas in a wide variety of ways, and the most important religious development during this time was the "Great Awakening." The "Great Awakening" was an important event in American history and religious history. It was the first real step away from the organized, strict religions that had followed the settlers here from England.
The "father" of the Great Awakening was Jonathan Edwards. He wrote a sermon called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which became very famous. A religious historian writes, "In that sermon he used the image of a spider dangling by a web over a hot fire to describe the human predicament. His point was that at any moment, our hold on life could break and we'd be plunged into fires of eternal damnation" (Matthews). While many people were critical of his sermons, others began to listen to him and to attend his church. They also began to "convert" to Edward's church because they were disappointed with their own Puritan churches and a lack of piety they saw in many people. Another religious historian notes, "The 'time of extraordinary dullness in religion' which Jonathan Edwards bemoaned during his early years at Northampton came to an end with the 'great and general awakening' which aroused all New England in 1740 -42" (Goen 8). Edwards believed in piety and in God's wrath against sinners, and people started to listen closely to his words. They also started to leave the powerful Anglican and Puritan churches as they discovered a religion that was more modern and fit their needs and beliefs better.
As Edwards popularity increased, others began to preach in the same way, and more people began to listen. However, eventually his preaching began to fall from favor. A real evangelist, George Whitefield, replaced him in popularity with the people. His preaching reached all throughout New England, the Chesapeake,...
(Boger 3 -- 15) (Murrin 67 -- 159) Discuss the origins of colonial North American slavery. Compare and contrast eighteenth century slavery as it existed in the Chesapeake, in South Carolina and Georgia, and in the northern colonies. How did differences in regions, crop cultivation, and personal skill create opportunities for varied experiences among enslaved Africans? How did enslaved Africans use cultural retentions to preserve their humanity and to implement
Colonial Culture Before the American Revolution The Great Awakening and Religious Change The Impact of Education When discussing causes of the American Revolution, most historians cite growing taxation, lack of representation in the national government, attempts by the King and Parliament to curb the power of colonial legislatures, and restrictions on trade as some of the primary causes. Often ignored as a cause are the changes in American colonial society that occurred
religion on world events cannot, and should not be underestimated in its importance in dictating the events of history. The Protestant Reformation is one such historic event or epoch that seemingly altered the way religion and society intermixed. The 16th century was a time of revolution and revolt and this modification of the church helped exposed many of the problems that the church had in maintaining a control over
Franciscan Beginnings in Early Colonial Peru, Antonine Tibesar provides an account of the Franciscans' role in converting the native population of Peru to Christianity. Basing his work on primary sources wherever possible, Tibesar asserts that although the Franciscan Order was by no means the primary religious order in colonial Peru, the Franciscans successfully integrated the Indians into Spanish culture. The author seems to have developed his thesis by convenience:
However, at the same time the onset of what many scholars regard as the first truly national event within the history of the fledgling United States of America took place throughout the 1740's, and indicated that the traditional religious beliefs that mandated a strict following of God would not so easily be overturned. The Great Awakening largely begin when George Whitefield, an Oxford-trained Anglican minster who came to Georgia in
Among the first major nations to have their people leaving for America were the Irish and the Germans. Life in Europe during the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries had been difficult, with the lower classes living in extreme poverty. As a result, people saw the opportunity of establishing themselves in a place where they would escape their problems. People coming to America from countries other than England generally received harsh
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