Colonial Society and Culture

Unit 2
Topic 2.7

AP U.S. History
 Think About It
► Evaluatethe impact of the Great Awakening
on colonial culture and society.
Colonial Religion
► New England
 Dominated by
Puritan/Congregationalist
 Religious conformity
► Middle Colonies
 Diverse population of churches
► “We find there Lutherans,
Reformed, Catholics, Quakers,
Menonists or Anabaptists,
Herrnhuters or Moravian
Brethren, Pietists, Seventh Day
Baptists, Dunkers, Presbyterians, .
. . Jews, Mohammedans, Pagans.”
– visitor to Pennsylvania
(1750)
 Religious toleration
► Southern Colonies
 Dominated by Anglican Church
 New England and Religion
Calvinist inspiration
► THE ANSWER OF THE ELDERS AND OTHER MESSENGERS of the Churches, Assembled at
► Boston in the Year 1662, TO The Questions Propounded to them by ORDER of the Honoured
GENERAL COURT.
► Congregationalist ► Quest, 1. WHo are the Subjects of Baptism?
Answ: The Answer may be given in the fol­lowing propositions, briefly confirmed from the
► Predestination and “the
►
Scriptures.
elect” ► 1. They that according to Scripture, are Members of the Visible Church, are the subjects of
Baptisme.
► John Cotton ► 2. The Members of the Visible Church according to scrip­ture, are Confederate visible
Believers, in particular Church­es, and their infant-seed, i. e. children in minority, whose next
► Antinomianism ►
parents, one or both, are in Covenant.
3 The Infant-seed of confederate visible Believers, are members of the same Church with
► Covenant of grace their parents, and when grown up, are personally under the watch, discipline and Go­
vernment of that Church.
► Cotton Mather ► 4 These Adult persons, are not therefore to be admitted to full Communion, meerly because
they are and continue[Page 2]members, without such further qualifications, as the Word of
God requireth therunto.
► Defended Puritanism ► 5 Church-members who were admitted in minority, under­standing the Doctrine of Faith, and
publickly professing their assent thereto; not scandalous in life, and solemnly owning the
► Believed in mystical Covenant before the Church, wherin they gave up themselves and their children to the Lord,
influence of witchcraft, and subject themselves to the Government of Christ in the Church, their children are to be
Baptised.
but also in scientific ► 6 Such Church-members, who either by death, or some other extraordinary Providence, have
been inevitably hindred from publick acting as aforesaid, yet have given the Church cause in
understanding judgment of charity, to look at them as so qualified, and such as had they been called
thereunto, would have to acted, their children are to be Baptised.
(inoculation) ► 7 The members of Orthodox Churches, being sound in the Faith, and not scandalous in life,
and presenting due testimo­ny thereof; these occasionally comming from one Church to
► Halfway Covenant another, may have their children Baptised in the Church whither they come, by virtue of
communion of churches: but if they remove their habitation, they ought orderly to co­venant
(1662) and subject themselves to the Government of Christ in the church where they settle their
abode, and so their children to be Baptised. It being the churches duty to receive such unto
communion, so farr as they are regular­ly sit for the same.
► - PROPOSITIONS CONCERNING THE SUBJECT of BAPTISM
AND CONSOCIATION of CHURCHES, Collected and Confirmed out of the WORD of GOD, BY A SYNOD
of ELDERS ANDMESSENGERS of the CHURCHES in Massachusets-Colony in New-England. Assembled
at BOSTON,according to Appointment of the Honoured GENERAL COURT, In the Year 1662. (Half-way
Covenant)
 New England and Religion
Roger Williams
► The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution, for Cause of
Conscience – A Plea for Religious Liberty (1644)
► “[T]he faithful labors of many witnesses of Jesus
Christ, extant to the world, abundantly proving
that . . . when they have opened a gap in the
hedge or wall of separation between the garden
of the church and the wilderness of the world,
God hath ever broke down the wall itself,
removed the candlestick, and made His garden a
wilderness, as at this day.  And that therefore if
He will ever please to restore His garden and
paradise again, it must of necessity be walled in
peculiarly unto Himself from the world; and that
all that shall be saved out of the world are to be
transplanted out of the wilderness of the world,
and added unto His church or garden.” – Mr.
Cotton’s Letter Lately Printed, examined
and Answered (1644)
 New England and Religion
Anne Hutchinson
► Antinomianism
► Personal salvation and divine revelation
► Prayer meetings
► Led women and men
► Criticized and undermined minister authority
► Trial
► Winthrop: You have spoken divers things as we have been informed
[which are] very prejudicial to the honour of the churches and ministers
thereof, and you have maintained a meeting and an assembly in your
house that hath been condemned by the general assembly as a thing not
tolerable nor comely in the sight of God nor fitting for your sex.
► Hutchinson: Do you think it not lawful for me to teach women, and why
do you call me to teach the court?
► Hutchinson: You have no power over my body, neither can you do me
any harm — for I am in the hands of the eternal Jehovah, my Saviour. I
am at his appointment, the bounds of my habitation are cast in heaven,
no further do I esteem of any mortal man than creatures in his hand, I
fear none but the great Jehovah, which hath foretold me of these things,
and I do verily believe that he will deliver me out of your hands. Anne Hutchinson on Trial - Edwin Abbey
Therefore take heed how you proceed against me — for I know that, for (1901)
this you go about to do to me, God will ruin you and your posterity and
this whole state.
► General Court orders her expulsion and banishment
 New England and Religion
Salem Witch Trials (1691-1693)
► Young women acted strangely and
accused Tituba (African slave
woman) and two local white
women
► Judges ignored ban on spectral
evidence
► 185 accused
 141 women; 44 men
► 19 executed
 14 women; 5 men
► Result of hysteria and
controversial trials weakened
Puritan influence and control in
New England
 Historiography
”The Puritans: Orthodoxy or Diversity?”

Perry Miller and Thomas H. Johnson David D. Hall – Worlds of Wonder,

– The Puritans (1938) Days of Judgment (1989)
► Thus Puritanism appears, from the ► Let me return to the crucial question of
social and economic point of view, to the clergy and their role in shaping
have been a philosophy of social popular religion... they had too much
stratification, placing the command in in common with the people, and too
the hands of the properly qualified and prominent a part to play in teaching
demanding implicit obedience from the certain structures of belief... I refuse
uneducated; from the religious point of to represent the clergy as so
view it was the dogged assertion of dominating in the churches that their
the unity of intellect and spirit in the way of thinking always prevailed...the
face of a rising tide of democratic power of the clergy was too mediated
sentiment suspicious of the intellect to make them really dominant, and
and intoxicated with the spirit. It was "domination" is a word that simply
autocratic, hierarchical, and doesn't fit in the pluralistic structure of
authoritarian… that in the social realm New England towns and churches.
holy writ were to be the mentors of
farmers and merchants.
 First Great Awakening (1730s-1740s)
► Evangelism
 Born again
 Bible as ultimate authority
 Atonement
 Spreading the “Good News”
► Revivalism
 Appeal to salvation rather than doctrine
and governance
 Appeal to emotion rather than intellect
 Jonathan Edwards
► Itinerant preachers
 George Whitefield
► Old Lights and New Lights – Debate
 Old Lights - rationalists
 New Lights - revivalists
► Impact
 Decline in Congregationalists, Quakers,
Anglicans
 Increase in Presbyterians, Baptists, George Whitefield Preaching
Methodists
 Educational institutions
c. 18th century
 Increase in acceptance and conversion of
African Americans and Native Americans
 Women granted rights to speak and vote
in Church
 The First Great Awakening
Jonathan Edwards
► Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (1741)
 The First Great Awakening
George Whitefield
► Marks of a True Conversion
 Old Lights vs. New Lights
Jonathan Edwards Charles Chauncy
Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Seasonable Thoughts on the State of Religion
Revival of Religion in New England (1742) (1743)
Our People don’t so much need to have their Heads stored as . . . And to speak freely, I am clearly in the Sentiment
to have their Hearts touched, and they stand in the greatest [opinion] that the great Stress that has been laid upon such
Need of that Sort of Preaching which has the greatest Terrors as have evidently been produced by the mechanical
Tendency to do this. . . . Another Thing that some Ministers influence of awful Words and frightful Gestures has been a
have been greatly blamed for, and I think unjustly, is great Disservice to the interest of Religion. . . I am not against
speaking Terror to them who are already under great Terrors the Preaching of Terror, but whenever this is done, it ought to
[spiritual turmoil] instead of comforting them. . . . Why be in a Way that may enlighten the Mind as well as to alarm
should we be afraid to let Persons who are in an infinitely the Passions: And I am greatly mistaken if this has been the
miserable [sinful] Condition know the Truth, or Bring ’em into Practice among some Sort of Preachers, so much as it ought
the Light, for fear it should terrify them? ’Tis Light that must to be. And to this it may be owing that Religion, of late, has
convert them, if ever they are converted. The more we bring been more a Commotion in the Passions than a Change in the
Sinners into the Light while they are miserable, and the Light Temper of the Mind. . .’tis generally believed Satan has been
is terrible to them, the more likely it is that afterward the very busy in these Times. He has, no Doubt, had a great hand
Light will be joyful to them. The Ease, Peace, and Comfort, in fomenting the Divisions and promoting the Extravagancies
which natural [unsaved] Men enjoy have their Foundation in which have, of late, been so detrimental to the Interest of
Darkness and Blindness. Therefore as that Darkness Religion. And if, instead of contriving Excuses for these
vanishes, and Light comes in, their Peace vanishes, and they Things, we had been more vigilant, because our Adversary the
are terrified. . . . Ministers, at this Day in a special Manner, Devil, as a roaring Lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
should act as Fellow-helpers in their great Work. It should be devour; and had resisted him more courageously, as those
seen that they are animated & engaged and exert who are steadfast in the Faith, it might have been as much for
themselves with one Heart and Soul, and with united the Honour of CHRIST and the Service of his Cause and
Strength to promote the present glorious Revival of Religion; Kingdom.
And to that End should often meet together & act in Concert.
And if it were a common Thing in the Country for Ministers to
join in public Exercises and second one another in their
Preaching, I believe it would be of great Service. . . . Only
such an appearance of united Zeal in Ministers would have a
great Tendency to awaken Attention, & much to impress and
animate the Hearers; as has been found by Experience in
some Parts of the Country. . . .
 Colonial Politics
► Limited Self-Government
 Elected bicameral legislative
assemblies
► Dominated by landed gentry and/or
church leaders
 Governors
 Local governments
► Townships in New England
► County governments in Middle
Colonies
► Landed elite-dominated county
government in Southern Colonies
► Voting
 Limited to adult male educated and/or
property owners
► Freedom of Expression
 John Peter Zenger Case (1735)
Dominion of New England (1686-1689)
► Established by King James
II to consolidate colonies
► Administrative union of
Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Connecticut,
Rhode Island, New York,
New Jersey
► Governor Edmund Andros
► Dissolution
 Colonial Society
► New England
 Landowners, professionals, and merchants dominated
► Middle Colonies
 Dominated by wealthy merchants and small farmer class
 Much more fluid
► Southern Colonies
 Dominated by planter class
 Slavery much more prevalent
 Very rigid social structure
► Overall
 Social Status
► Landed Gentry
► Professionals and Merchants
► Small Farmers and Craftspeople
► Hired Hands and Tenant Farmers
► Indentured Servants Debtors
► Slaves
 1600s Society much more opportunistic
 Success of 1700s led to more concentration of wealth
and more rigid class-based society
 Colonial Gender Roles
► Men
 Patriarch
 Responsibility for family
 Fulfilled economic and
political roles in society
 Taught sons advanced
education and trade
► Women
 Maintain household
 Encourage morality
 Submission to husbands
 Taught children basic literacy
 Limited political and economic
roles
 Subject to humiliation
 Colonial Culture - Education
► Limited to wealthy males; females learned
domestic chores
► Higher Education
 Most established for ministry/theological
studies
 Law, medicine developed later
► New England Colonies
 Parents responsible to teach children to read
Bible passages and laws (1642)
 Towns with over 50 families required primary
schools; over 100 families, required grammar
schools (1647)
 New England Primer
► Middle Colonies
 Private and church education
► Southern Colonies
 Limited education due to agricultural lifestyle
 Colonial Literacy and Literature
► Literacy
 60% literacy in New England
(1650-1670)
 85% literacy in New England
(1758-1762)
 Literacy rates higher among
merchants and urban areas
compared to farmers and rural
sectors
 Enlightenment,
Protestantism/First Great
Awakening, economic success
fueled desire for literacy
► Literature
 Newspapers
 Religious sermons, political
essays, non-fiction books
 Poor Richard’s Almanac -
Benjamin Franklin
Settlement and Migration
► 250,000 in 1701 to 2.5 million
in 1775
► Europeans and Africans along
with a high birth rate
► Reasons: religion; economics;
political turmoil
► English, Germans
(Pennsylvania Dutch), Scottish,
Irish, Dutch, Swedish  OLD
IMMIGRANTS
► Africans forced to America;
suffered discrimination and
slave labor
Names

Purpose

Economy

Society

Community

Culture

Religion