Colonial Society & the Roots of Self-Government

You’ll be able to

Explain how the Great Awakening reshaped colonial religion and society
Describe the Enlightenment’s influence on colonial political thought
Analyze the growth of representative self-government and its tensions with imperial authority

The First Great Awakening

In the 1730s and 1740s a wave of emotional religious revival — the First Great Awakening — swept the colonies. Preachers like Jonathan Edwards and the electrifying George Whitefield stressed personal, heartfelt conversion over rote doctrine and established clergy. The movement split congregations into "New Lights" and "Old Lights," undermined the authority of traditional ministers, and — by drawing huge crowds across colonial lines — became one of the first genuinely intercolonial experiences, encouraging a shared identity and a spirit of questioning authority.

The Enlightenment reaches America

Alongside revival came reason. The Enlightenment brought European ideas about natural rights, reason, and the social contract — thinkers like John Locke, who argued government exists to protect life, liberty, and property and that people may resist rulers who violate that trust. Colonial figures such as Benjamin Franklin embodied this rational, improving spirit. These ideas gave educated colonists a vocabulary of rights and consent that would later justify resistance to Britain.

Habits of self-government

Distance from Britain and salutary neglect let colonists develop strong traditions of self-rule. Nearly every colony had an elected assembly that controlled taxes and spending, giving colonists real practice governing themselves. Precedents ran deep: the Virginia House of Burgesses (1619) was the first representative body, the Mayflower Compact (1620) modeled self-governing agreement, and town meetings organized New England life. Over decades, colonists came to view these rights not as privileges but as their due as English subjects.

Worked example

Briefly explain ONE way the First Great Awakening contributed to the development of a shared colonial identity.

1.State a key feature of the Awakening: itinerant preachers like Whitefield traveled and drew massive crowds across colonial borders.
2.Explain the effect: colonists from different regions shared a common religious experience and message at the same time.
3.Connect to identity: this intercolonial phenomenon, plus its challenge to established authority, helped foster a sense of common American experience.

Answer: By drawing huge crowds across colonial lines to hear the same message, revivalists like George Whitefield created one of the first shared, intercolonial experiences, which fostered a common identity and a willingness to question established authority.

Checkpoint

Which pair correctly matches an intellectual movement of the colonial era with its main emphasis?

On the exam

A favorite exam theme: both the Great Awakening (religious) and the Enlightenment (rational) taught colonists to question established authority. If a prompt asks about roots of the Revolution, you can cite both as sources of an independent, questioning colonial mindset.

Checkpoint

The existence of elected colonial assemblies that controlled taxation is most significant because it

Answer the 2 checkpoints as you read.