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The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, 1740-1765

The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, 1740-1765. The Enlightenment in America Most Christians believed God intervened directly in human affairs to punish sin & reward virtue Enlightenment thinkers believed people could observe , analyze, understand, and improve their world

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The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, 1740-1765

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  1. The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening, 1740-1765 The Enlightenment in America Most Christians believed God intervened directly in human affairs to punish sin & reward virtue Enlightenment thinkers believed people could observe , analyze, understand, and improve their world John Locke – lives not fixed by God’s will & can be changed through education & purposeful action; also said political authority not divinely ordained but came from social compacts people made to preserve life, liberty, & property

  2. Ben Franklin • European enlightenment ideas influenced colonists’ beliefs about science, religion, and politics • Ben Franklin, (inventor, printer, politician), turned to deism; which is the belief that God created the world to run according to natural law without his interference • The enlightenment added a secular dimension to colonial intellectual life

  3. American Pietism & the Great Awakening • Many colonists turned to pietism, which came w/ German migrants in 1720’s & sparked religious revival • Pietism emphasized pious behavior, religious emotion, and the striving for a mystical union w/ God

  4. American Pietism & the Great Awakening cont’d • In 1739, George Whitefield transformed local revivals into a “Great Awakening” • 100’s of colonists felt the “New Light” of God’s grace & followed Whitefield • Conservative, or “Old Light” ministers condemned the emotional preaching of traveling “new light” ministers for their emotionalism & allowing women to speak in public; in Conn. traveling preachers prohibited from speaking to estab. congregations w/out minister’s consent • “Old Lights” condemned as unconverted sinners

  5. Legacy of Great Awakening • Undermined support of traditional churches & challenged authority of ministers • Gave a new sense of religious authority to many colonists in North & reaffirmed communal ethics as it questioned pursuit of wealth • Many colleges founded to train ministers for various denominations (Princeton, Columbia, Brown) • A new sense of religious & political authority felt among many of the common people

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