Influence of Enlightenment on Colonial Culture

Feb 25, 2025

Heimler's History: Colonial Society and Structure (1607-1754)

Key Question

  • How and why did the movement of ideas and people across the Atlantic contribute to the development of an American culture?

Enlightenment and Its Influence

  • The Enlightenment:
    • Emphasized rational thinking over tradition and religious revelation.
    • Influential Enlightenment thinkers included John Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire, and Emmanuel Kant.
    • Ideas spread through a robust transatlantic print culture.
    • Key ideas:
      • Natural Rights: Life, liberty, and property are inherent rights given by a Creator, not monarchs.
      • Social Contract: Power rests with the people, who grant it to a government to protect their rights.
      • Government Structure: Advocacy for a government with three branches to provide checks and balances.

Tension with Religious Beliefs

  • Enlightenment ideas undermined the authority of the Bible.
  • Emphasis on scientific inquiry over religious revelation caused a decline in confidence in biblical authority.

The Great Awakening

  • Reaction to the decline in faith, led by New Light clergy influenced by German Pietism.
  • Key Figures:
    • Jonathan Edwards:
      • New England minister combining Enlightenment ideas with religious fervor.
      • Famous for the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."
      • Emphasized joy in God and human joy.
    • George Whitefield:
      • Traveled from England, spreading revival throughout the colonies.
      • Preached in various unconventional settings, drawing large crowds.

Social Consequences

  • New Light preachers emphasized democracy and the idea that wealth does not equate to God's favor.
  • Encouraged resistance against tyrannical authorities.
  • Led to self-governing structures such as participatory town meetings.

Colonial Resistance

  • Anglicanization: Colonies becoming more British in political communities, but growing frustration with British rule.
  • Impressment:
    • Forced recruitment into the Royal Navy, seen as a violation of rights.
    • Caused riots in 1747 during King George's War.
  • Increasing awareness of and resistance to violations of natural rights, influenced by Enlightenment ideas.
  • Set the stage for future significant consequences and resistance against Britain.