1. 9/11/17 Journal Entry #2
What is an American in 2017?
What would you consider American values? How do you think the rest of the world would describe “an American?” What adjectives do you think describes us as Americans? Which of these characteristics are new, and which are timeless? What if I had asked the question without putting the “2017” at the end of it??
Clip:
What connections to you draw between you answer to the prompt and the clip we just watched?

2. The Enlightenment, the Great Awakening and the Making of “Americans”

3. Essential Question
What impact did the Great Awakening have on the development of American Culture?

4. Colonies: 1750 4

5. Step 1: The Enlightenment comes to America
Ben Franklin was one of the first Americans influenced by the Enlightenment.
Became a deist, believing that God created the world, but then God stepped back & allowed the universe to operate through the laws of nature.

6. The Enlightenment Influences Religion
As the Enlightenment began, people in the colonies began to question traditional religious beliefs.
Some religious leaders began to fear that secular (material) values were replacing spiritual values.
Religious leaders sought to bring people back to their religion/God.
Also, Puritans were not happy about the growing tolerance for other religious beliefs.

7. American Pietism: The Great Awakening
Pietism was a religious revival focusing on emotional sermonsindividuals looked for a deep emotional connection to God in an attempt to respond to some of the Enlightenment ideas.
As this Awakening proceeded it undermined the allegiance to the legally established churches of the colonies.
Old Lights vs. New Lights

8. The Great Awakening
(New Lights)
Emotions and shrieking are signs of faith, sincerity and conversion
Emphasis on feelings
Salvation by faith alone--Not earned by good deeds
Everyone could take part and be saved
Traditional Religion
(Old Lights)
Calm, Serious, and Formal
Emphasis on reason/measured behavior
Salvation by leading a virtuous life
Only the chosen elect were saved

9. The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening began in the 1720s and 1730s in New Jersey and New England.
It eventually swept through all colonies.
“Fire and brimstone” style of worship stressed the importance of the individual’s relationship with God.

10. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
Puritan minister Jonathan Edwards emphasized each person’s individual relationship with God.
Preached that men and women were completely helpless and that they were dependent on God.
He used fear of punishment to coax people to repent of their sins.

11. “The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked; his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times so abominable in his eyes as the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince: and yet ‘tis nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment: ‘tis to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep: and there is no other reason to be given why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God’s hand has held you up: There is no other reason to be given why you ha[ve]n’t gone to hell since you have sat here in the house of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner … yea, there is nothing else to be given as a reason why you don’t this very moment drop down into hell.”

12. The Great Awakening
George Whitefield – British minister who traveled to America.
Used raw emotional sermons.
Preached that godly lives will bring salvation.
His strong voice caused many to cry & confess their sins.
Clip—God in America

13. The Impact of the Great Awakening
Church membership increased, temporarily. Baptists, Unitarians on the rise.
Led to creation of learning centers, such as Dartmouth, Brown, Rutgers, and Princeton.
Challenged the authority and power of ministers and ultimately began to challenge the established powers of the land.
United the colonies on a religious front, despite different faiths  Birth of an American Culture…Why??

14. The Development of American Culture
Enlightenment Great
Awakening
American
Culture
Reading: What is an American?
Salutary Neglect

16. Bacon’s Rebellion: Led by Nathaniel Bacon, the rebellion featured a group of men who were mostly former indentured servants. The men were not able to make a living after being servants and were forced to the frontier, under constant threat of Indian attack. The government did little to protect them—and these factors led to the uprising. The men attacked and killed 150 Indians and burned Jamestown to the ground before being subdued.
Bacon’s Rebellion: A revolt led by Nathaniel Bacon against the Virginia government because they wouldn’t take Indian land or protect discontented former indentured servants on the frontier. The rebels burned Jamestown to the ground and killed many Indians before a militia led by Gov. Berkeley put down the rebellion. Because of this uprising, landowners did not want to rely upon indentured servants any longer—this led to a new reliance upon African slaves and fueled slavery in the South.
Metacom’s Rebellion: was an attempt to save Indian lands and culture in New England. Metacom’s father had made peace with the white people even though they were encroaching in their land—but Metacom fought back. He invaded many settlements and killed white people, but the colonists were too strong. They crushed the rebellion.
Metacom’s Rebellion: Metacom was the son of Massassoit. While Massassoit had a reasonably peaceful relationship with the Puritans, Metacom became increasingly angered by the English presence. Metacom united tribes throughout New England and killed many settlers, but he ultimately failed. He was drawn, quartered, and beheaded—and his family was sold into slavery. Natives received this warning and never truly fought back against the Pilgrims again.