The Enlightenment and the First Great Awakening

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Explores the impact of two major intellectual and religious movements on colonial America, focusing on key thinkers like John Locke and Jonathan Edwards, and the rise of new ideas about government and individual piety.

The Enlightenment and the First Great Awakening

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What was the Enlightenment?

An 18th-century European intellectual movement that emphasized reason, logic, and scientific observation as the means to understand and improve the world. It challenged traditional authority, including that of monarchs and the church.

Who was John Locke and what were his key ideas that influenced American colonists?

An English philosopher who argued that all individuals possess 'natural rights' to life, liberty, and property. He also proposed the idea of a 'social contract,' where governments are formed by the consent of the governed to protect these rights.

According to John Locke, what right do the people have if a government violates the social contract?

If a government becomes tyrannical and fails to protect the natural rights of its citizens, the people have the right to alter or abolish it. This idea would become a cornerstone of the American Revolution.

What was Montesquieu's major contribution to Enlightenment political thought?

The French philosopher Montesquieu advocated for the separation of governmental powers into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. This structure would prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful, a concept later embedded in the U.S. Constitution.

What is Deism?

A religious belief popular among some Enlightenment thinkers like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Deists believed that God created the universe and its natural laws but does not intervene in human affairs (a 'clockmaker' God). They relied on reason rather than biblical revelation.

What was the First Great Awakening?

A series of widespread Protestant religious revivals in the American colonies during the \(1730s\) and \(1740s\). It was a reaction against the perceived formalism of established churches and the rationalism of the Enlightenment.

What was the style of preaching during the Great Awakening?

It was highly emotional and evangelical. Preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield used fiery language to emphasize human sinfulness, the torments of hell, and the necessity of a personal, emotional conversion experience ('being born again').

Who was Jonathan Edwards?

A New England Congregationalist minister and a key figure in the Great Awakening. He is famous for his sermon 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,' which vividly described the horrors of hell to frighten his listeners into repentance.

Who was George Whitefield?

An English Anglican cleric who was a dynamic and charismatic itinerant preacher. He traveled throughout the colonies, drawing massive crowds with his powerful, emotional sermons and spreading the Great Awakening's message far and wide.

What was the conflict between the 'New Lights' and the 'Old Lights'?

'New Lights' were supporters of the Great Awakening's emotional revivalism and itinerant preachers. 'Old Lights' were the established clergy and their followers who condemned the emotionalism and chaos of the revivals, preferring traditional, rational forms of worship.

What were some major effects of the First Great Awakening on American society?

It led to divisions in existing churches and the founding of new denominations (like Baptists and Methodists). It also led to the creation of new colleges (like Princeton and Dartmouth) to train 'New Light' ministers. Crucially, it was a shared experience across the colonies.

How did the Great Awakening contribute to a growing sense of American identity?

It was the first major event that all the colonies experienced together, creating a shared American consciousness. Its emphasis on individual experience and questioning of established religious authority paralleled the later questioning of political authority.

How did the Great Awakening challenge traditional authority?

By encouraging people to have a personal relationship with God without the mediation of established clergy, it empowered individuals to make their own religious decisions. This fostered a spirit of anti-authoritarianism that could easily be applied to political and social hierarchies.

In what way were the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening similar in their effects on the colonies?

Despite their different approaches (one emphasizing reason, the other faith), both movements encouraged colonists to question traditional authority and to value individual experience and judgment. Both contributed to the intellectual and cultural landscape that led to the American Revolution.

Who was Benjamin Franklin and how did he embody Enlightenment ideals?

A Philadelphia printer, inventor, scientist, and statesman, Franklin was the quintessential American Enlightenment figure. He believed in human progress through reason and science, conducting famous experiments with electricity and founding civic institutions like libraries and hospitals.

The Enlightenment and the First Great Awakening

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